Kashmir Officer Dies In Keran, Mourning Family Bids Farewell from Kishanganga Banks | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Grief and separation converged in a remote village of Keran along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, where the funeral of a serving government official became a poignant reminder of decades-old divisions that even death could not bridge.

Raja Liyaqat Ali Khan, a Naib Tehsildar posted in Ganderbal district, died of cardiac arrest on Saturday after undergoing treatment for several days at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. His passing cast a pall over his native village, but what followed underscored a deeper tragedy.

As the funeral procession moved through the village along the banks of the Kishenganga River, Khan’s relatives stood helplessly on the opposite side of the LoC, separated by the heavily guarded Line of Control (LoC). The river, known as the Neelam across the LoC, marked not just a physical boundary but an emotional chasm.

Residents said several of Khan’s close family members, including his father, siblings, and extended relatives, had migrated to the other side in the early 1990s. Upon learning of his death through social media, they gathered along the riverbank across the divide to catch a final glimpse of the funeral.

Eyewitness accounts and videos circulating online showed mourners on both sides of the river, with people on the other side waving tearfully as the funeral prayers were held on Keran side. Emotional songs accompanied some of the visuals, amplifying the sense of loss and separation.

Khan is survived by his wife and four children, the eldest currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Though he had at one point also moved across the LoC, but he later returned and continued his life and service on this side.