The night of August 14-15, 1947, when two nations emerged from the same womb, India and Pakistan not only gained territories but also sundered families, shattered friendships, and interrupted love affairs. In the midst of Partition hysteria, as blood was shed and boundaries fortified, some relationships did not fracture. These were the marriage ones. Cross-border marriages that patched emotional continuity into the tapestry of political disjunction.In present era where visa regimes have become hostile and political ties frozen, it is easy to forget that for many decades, Indian and Pakistani families continued to marry across borders. Those Muslim-Hindu, Sindhi-Punjabi, Rajput-Tamil marriages quietly defied the logic of war. But today, they seem distantechoes from a more tolerant time, especially against the backdrop of recent geopolitical developments and statements like the one made by Altaf Hussain, founder of Pakistan’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).The most vivid example of such inter-border harmony is the case of Dina Wadia, founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s daughter. A wife to Indian businessman Neville Wadia, who decided to stay in Mumbai despite her father becoming the first Governor-General of Pakistan. Dina made only two trips toPakistan for her father’s burial in 1948 and later in 2004.The Partition may have divided individuals on geographical lines, but culturally and emotionally, most families remained together. Indian Muslim families, particularly from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, with family members who had moved to Pakistan, still searched for cross-border marital alliances. As per Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, (in a number of different interviews), hundreds of such marriages occurred every year 1 until tensions mounted after the acts of violence, like that of Uri attack in 2016 and Pulwama bombing of 2019.However this is not one-sided, Indian men and women used to get married to Pakistani Women and men respectively.There are a few high-profile cases as well in which people from both the countries got married to each other. Such as:Pakistani film producer Satish Anand’s sister,Tina Anand, got married to Indian businessman Ravi Vachhani, owner of Western TV Company. Currently they are based in India.Legendary Indian writer-editor Anil Dharker also got hitched with a Pakistani lady.Sadia Dehlvi, a renowned Indian writer and activist, got married to a Pakistani businessman.The daughter-in-law of previous Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh is a Pakistani.Similarly, the world of sports provides additional examples: Pakistani cricket player Mohsin Khan got married to Indian actress Reena Roy.And Indian tennis champion Sania Mirza was married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, making headlines throughout South Asia.Meanwhile in India, Hindu Sodha Rajputs of border districts of Rajasthan like Jaisalmer and Barmer continued to marry across the border in Pakistan, as per 2016 report by Seemant Lok Sangathan, Jodhpur, documents. The sindhi Hindu families have also maintained cross-border family relationships. These were not merely sentimental choices but based on cultural proximity, common language, diet, and shared memory that Partition could not destroy.Nevertheless, if marriage can be a bridge, it can also highlight the widening cracks in the national narratives. Altaf Hussain, MQM’s exiled founder, recently called an emergency appeal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a live transmission from London. While raising the issue of systemic discrimination against the Muhajir community-Urdu-speaking Indians who migrated to Pakistan after 1947, he appreciated Modi’s strong support for Balochistan and asked the same for Muhajirs.In a 2004 interview with journalist Saeed Naqvi for Outlook India, he claimed that more than 25,000 Muhajirs had been killed and thousands had gone missing due to military crackdowns in Pakistan. Despite having settled in the country decades ago after leaving their homes in India for the newly formed Islamic republic, Muhajirs, he said, were still treated as outsiders by the state. “Back home, Agra and Mathura are heard of almost every day,” he remarked, pointing to the enduring presence of Indian cultural identity within Muhajir households.This appeal highlights a stark irony of how Pakistan initially accepted migrants from India for the cause of Islamic brotherhood, and how the same communities are now experiencing alienation and persecution.Shaharyar Khan, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, faced criticism for arranging his son’s marriage to a woman from Bhopal, India. Critics went as far as to question his patriotism over the decision.The former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar Khan, was criticized for organizing his son’s wedding with a woman from Bhopal, India. His patriotism was questioned by the critics.“Bhopal is my city. If I don’t bring a bride from there, then where?” Khan said in a 2005 interview with The Indian Express. His roots in Bhopal traced back even before the Partition, a reminder that personal histories endure even as national borders change.Such unions are rare now. In today’s political climate, where even cricket diplomacy has withered and visa regimes remain tightly controlled, cross- border marriages are increasingly seen as security concerns rather than human connections.Altaf Hussain’s plea and accounts of these cross-border marriages are both reminders of an uncomfortable reality: the partitioning of the subcontinent was physical, not emotional. Families did not wish to be parted; borders did that to them. Today, the Muhajirs’ cry and the cessation of cross-border marriages present the same tale–that the wounds of Partition are still open and healing is yet to begin.In an era full of chaos, such stories of love, loss, and longing ask us to hear instead the language of kinship. They tell us that some bonds can cross borders for each other, but only if they are permitted to do so.This article is authored by Hariom Chauhan, Intern at Deccan Chronicle.
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