E-Paper
Nurturing roots with passion
The Allahabadis, who migrated to Pakistan decades ago, are still maintaining emotional links with the Sangam city. Those living in Sindh province have got united in Karachi, formed a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and named it as Allahabad Social Welfare Association.
The Allahabadis, who migrated to Pakistan decades ago, are still maintaining emotional links with the Sangam city. Those living in Sindh province have got united in Karachi, formed a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and named it as Allahabad Social Welfare Association.
With over one lakh members, the NGO runs a school and a hospital, named after Allahabad, in Karachi. Besides, the NGO is actively involved in widow marriages, giving aid to the poor for education, treatment and marriages.
At the helm of this NGO's affairs is Shaikh Shahid Hussain. His parents had migrated to Pakistan, when he was simply a four-year-old child in 1952. He enjoys such an intimate relationship with Allahabad that he visits the city at least once every year.
In order to strengthen these emotional ties, he got his son Shaikh Yasir Hussain's marriage solemnised with Filza Azmat Khan, daughter of Azmat Khan, a resident of Rajrooppur in Allahabad on March 18, 2006.
The likes of Shahid Hussain are in large numbers in Karachi.
They have been visiting Allahabad regularly with dry fruits and 'Lown cloth' and taking back 'Loknath ki namkin,' 'Kaju ki mithai' and 'Allahabadi amrood' to Karachi. A large number of people are interested in visiting Allahabad during Ardh Kumbh, points out Shahid. Shahid feels pleasure in narrating about people's feeling for India and says that movies of Dileep Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sharukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan are watched with great interest in Pakistan. Besides, he says, many Indian writers and poets too are quite popular among Pakistanis. When asked about his liking of poetry, he promptly quoted Manzar Bhopali's couplet:
Hamarey shahar ko maqtal bana diya kisne Suna hai ahle-siyasat ki meharbaani hai (Who has made our city a slaughterhouse, I have heard it is by the grace of politics). He intended to clarify that people of both the countries did not want to maintain distance. "Rather they desire to improve interaction," he added.
When asked about the status of migrants (mohajirs) in Pakistan, he said much was needed to be done for mohajirs' uplift as they were yet to get equal opportunities for their progress. "We are still treated as the second-grade citizens and most of the benefits are grabbed by non-Mohajirs," he adds.
Shahid maintains that complications in getting visa are harassing a large number of people in both the countries. Besides, immigration rules too are not congenial.
"If any Bangladeshi wants visa for India, he gets it easily and he has not to go to the police of every city, he visits in India. But police reporting for Pakistanis is a must in India and there are similar rules for Indians in Pakistan. If these rules are relaxed relations between the people of India and Pakistan will certainly improve considerably," he said.
Shahid wants more frequent train service between the two nations through Monabau and also introduction of bus service to facilitate journey from Karachi to Jodhpur.
