After 75 Years, Indian Woman To Get Visa To Reconnect With Ancestral Home In Pakistan

Reena Chhibar, a 92-year-old Indian woman who travelled to Pakistan on Saturday to visit her ancestral home, received a three-month visa from the Pakistani High Commission as a gesture of goodwill, according to media reports. In order to make coming and leaving simple, she urged the governments of both nations to "work together" to relax visa requirements as she crossed the Wagah-Attari border to visit her ancestral house, Prem Niwas, in Rawalpindi, according to reports. 

As she was being taken from the border to Rawalpindi, Reena recalled the multi-cultural community that was thriving in Pindi before the Partition. She recalled that her brothers' friends would visit our home from different communities, including Muslims. She added, “our house-help was also a diverse mix of people."

Reena Chhibar Ancestral Roots

Reena recalled that despite applying for a visa in 1965 to visit Pakistan, she was unable to do so because of the heightened tensions brought on by the conflict between the two countries. She was still able to travel to Lahore to see Pakistan play England since Pakistan had given Indians visas to attend the game.

She also said that in 2021 she posted on social media about wanting to visit her ancestral home, and as a result, a Pakistani man named Sajjad Haider got in touch with her and provided her pictures of the home. She stated in a video posted to social media that she had sought a visa to visit the location in 2021 but that it had been denied.

After that, the 92-year-old took to social media to convey her desire to travel to Pakistan. She included Hina Rabbani Khar, who is currently Pakistan's minister of state for foreign affairs, in her pursuit. Reena claims that the minister immediately instructed the Pakistani High Commission to grant her a visa, and shortly after that, the high commission in New Delhi contacted her. She met with Aftab Hassan Khan from the Commission, who then gave her a 90-day visa.

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According to reports, Sajjad Haider, a Pakistani journalist, is Reena's sponsor host and has taken complete responsibility for her, referring to her as a member of his "Indian Family," while also assuring Reena that she will return to her home country before her visa expires.