Keran, Pakistan: Kashmir resident Raja Basharat can see his brother’s grave on the opposite bank of a river that divides the disputed region, but visiting it — a holiday tradition for Muslims on Eid Al-Adha — is impossible.
The festival was a painful reminder of the separation forced on Kashmiri families split between parts of the Himalayan region administered by either India or Pakistan, with the atmosphere ever more tense after a sharp escalation last year.
“Eid is a festival of joy and celebration, but for us it has become a symbol of grief, sorrow and helplessness,” said Basharat, who lives in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
Gazing across the waterway that marks the de facto border, he recalled the death of his older brother Raja Liaqat on the Indian-administered side in April.
He said that his brother’s funeral was moved from Srinagar to the Indian-administered side of Keran, his village, which is split by the heavily militarised frontier known as the Line of Control.
