Seven decades on, Sikh visits graves of Pakistanis who saved family from partition bloodshed

Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, an American Sikh of Indian descent, poses with Pakistani lawmaker Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk (left), at the graves of Virk’s parents in Gujranwala, Pakistan, on November 28, 2021 (Photo Courtesy: Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia)
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Updated 08 December 2021
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Seven decades on, Sikh visits graves of Pakistanis who saved family from partition bloodshed

  • Partition in 1947 following India’s independence from British triggered one of the biggest forced migrations in history
  • As Butalia’s grandparents fled Gujranwala for Ferozepore, they were sheltered for over a month in Lahore by the Virk family

KARACHI: In August 1947, as British India was being partitioned into independent India and Pakistan, Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia’s grandparents fled their village in Gujranwala district, in what was soon to become Pakistan, for Ferozepore, in what was soon to become India.

All around them was carnage — a bloody orgy of violence and communal rioting that they were able to escape by sheltering for over a month at the home of a Muslim couple in what is now the central Pakistani city of Lahore.

Last month, Butalia, an American Sikh of Indian descent who has a PhD in civil engineering, arrived at his ancestral village in Gujranwala district from Colombus, Ohio, to visit the graves of the Muslim friends who had saved his grandparents’ lives over seven decades ago.




Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, an American Sikh of Indian descent, kisses the grave of Bashir Ahmed Virk, a Pakistani Muslim who saved his grandparents’ lives during independence riots in 1947. Photo taken in Gujranwala, Pakistan, on November 28, 2021 (Photo Courtesy Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia)

The partition in 1947, following India’s independence from British rule, triggered one of the biggest forced migrations in history, marred by bloodshed, as about 15 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, fearing discrimination and violence, swapped countries in a political upheaval that cost more than a million lives.

During the chaotic transition, train cars full of bodies arrived at railway stations in the twin cities of Lahore and Amritsar in the province of Punjab, split roughly down the middle at partition on August 14, 1947.

Many survivors of the bloodshed found themselves separated from family on the other side of a hastily drawn-up border.

It was in these circumstances that Bashir Ahmed Virk, a Muslim tax and revenue officer posted in Lahore, provided shelter to his friend Captain Ajit Singh Butalia, along with his wife Narinder Kaur and their two little children, as they tried to make their way to Indian Punjab.

“Virk and his family took extremely good care of them,” Butalia, 56, told Arab News in a telephone interview this week, saying he grew up hearing stories about the Virk family’s generosity from his grandparents and parents.




An undated photo of Captain Ajit Singh Butalia and his wife Sardarni Narinder Kaur (Photo Courtesy: Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia)

In a book called “My Journey Home” that Butalia published last year, he said his grandparents had initially decided to stay put in their ancestral village of Butala in what is today the Pakistani part of the Punjab after being assured of safety by local Muslims. But when the family home was set on fire by a Muslim mob in September 1947, it became clear that the place where the Butalia family had lived for generations was no longer home.

“It was September 1947 — the Butala Sardars left their ancestral village Butala Sardar Jhanda Singh near Gujranwala,” Butalia wrote. “My grandfather Capt. Ajit Singh Butalia (retired) wore a round turban similar to a Muslim man, my grandmother (Sardarni Narinder Kaur Butalia) a burqa, holding their 3 month old son Col. Sarabjit Singh Butalia (retired) in her arms, put 2 year old Squadron Leader Narinderjit Singh Butalia (retired) on a donkey and the Butala Sardars left their ancestral village on foot for good — never to return again.”

“My grandparents walked several days toward a refugee camp, near Gujranwala. When they arrived, the British officer in charge discovered that my grandfather had served in the British Army and took it upon himself to facilitate his family across the border. On the way from the camp to the border, a mob of Muslims stopped the vehicle and demanded that the Sikh family be handed over to them. My grandfather recognized some of the men in the mob and they decided instead to take the family to Lahore to stay with one of my grandfather’s friend. What a change of heart — from mobsters to shelter providers.”

For about a month, the Butalias then lived in the home of Virk, whose family provided them with clothing and food (including non-halal meat).




An undated photo of Bashir Ahmed Virk, a Pakistani official who saved the lives of a Sikh couple by giving refuge to them at his Lahore house in September 1947 (Photo Courtesy: Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia)

“The neighbors began to suspect that a Sikh family might be hiding in the home of a Muslim,” Butalia wrote in his book. “One Friday when my grandfather’s friend went to the mosque for prayers, the Imam pulled him aside and inquired about who was staying at his home. He replied that it was his brother and his family. The Imam then asked him to swear upon the Qur’an that it was his brother’s family. This unknown friend of my grandfather swore upon the Qur’an that this was his brother’s family.”

Explaining that the oath had not been a false one, Butalia told Arab News: “He truly looked at my grandfather as his brother.”

“For every partition story of human failings, of horror and savagery, there is an even more compelling human story of compassion, love, and friendship at great personal peril,” Butalia wrote.

Indeed, such stories of camaraderie as found between the Butalias and Virks were not rare in pre-partition India, even if they are hard to imagine since 1947 when departing British colonial administrators ordered the creation of two countries, one mostly Muslim and one majority Hindu. Today, India and Pakistan are arch-rivals who have fought three wars and continue to have tense relations, particularly when it comes to the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim in full.

Ties between family and friends on either side of the border continue to be unimpeded by travel curbs or poisoned by nationalist bluster.

But this did not stop Butalia from hoping to visit his family’s ancestral village in Pakistan and pay homage to their Pakistani friends.

When his book was published in December last year, a Pakistani academic in Lahore, Kalyan Singh, who was already aware of the link between the Butalias and the Virks, helped Butalia find the family in Gujranwala. Singh also subsequently introduced Butalia to Mahmood Bashir Virk, a successful politician from Gujranwala and the son of Bashir Ahmed Virk.

“This is how I got connected,” Butalia said. “It almost sounds impossible, but I finally found the family after 70 years!”




Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, an American Sikh of Indian descent, meets with Pakistani lawmaker Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk (left) at Virk’s village in Gujranwala, Pakistan, on November 28, 2021 (Photo Courtesy: Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia)

“I was a child but I still remember there were killings going on in the surrounding villages,” Mahmood told Arab News. “However, our village was peaceful, which was largely because of my father. He told me during the last days of his life that he saved people since he was trying to prepare for the hereafter.”

Last year, Butalia arrived in Gujranwala and met Virk. This year, he returned with one goal: to visit the graves of his family’s saviors.

“I visited their resting places, though I know I can never thank them enough for what they have done,” he said. “As I bode farewell to them, I knelt down to kiss their graves and prayed: ‘May everyone in the world be like you, Bashir Ahmed Virk and Amna Bibi.’”


Pakistan urges India to abide by Indus Waters Treaty after world court’s supplemental award

Updated 1 min 38 sec ago
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Pakistan urges India to abide by Indus Waters Treaty after world court’s supplemental award

  • The court ruled that India’s decision of suspending the treaty didn’t affect its competence to adjudicate Pakistan’s complaints
  • The South Asian neighbors have been arguing over hydroelectric projects on the shared Indus river and tributaries for decades

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday urged India to restore the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which ensures water for 80 percent Pakistani farms, and fulfil its obligations, days after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) announced a supplemental award on the proceedings instituted by Pakistan against India over Indus waters.

India announced it was putting the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty in abeyance a day after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, an allegation Islamabad denies. Pakistan has previously said the treaty has no provision for one side to unilaterally pull back and that any blocking of river water flowing to Pakistan will be considered “an act of war.”

In its supplemental award on the proceedings instituted by Pakistan against India over two hydroelectric projects, the court ruled on June 27 that India’s decision of holding the IWT in abeyance did not deprive the court of its competence to adjudicate Pakistan’s complaints against its neighbor. Pakistan has opposed some of hydroelectric projects by India, saying they violate the World Bank-mediated treaty on the sharing of the Indus waters.

In response to the supplemental award announced by the Court of Arbitration, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the court found hearing the Pakistan-India dispute over Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects found that it has a continuing responsibility to advance these proceedings in a timely, efficient and fair manner.

“The Court of Arbitration decided to announce this supplemental award in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral announcement to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement.

“The award vindicates Pakistan’s position that the Indus Waters Treaty remains valid and operational, and that India has no right to take a unilateral action about it. We urge India to immediately resume the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty, and fulfil its treaty obligations, wholly and faithfully.”

Last week, the PCA said it had previously found that once a proceeding before a court of arbitration is properly initiated, as in the present case, “there must be a strong presumption against the incidental loss of jurisdiction over the matters placed before it by subsequent acts, such as the appointment of a neutral expert.”

Weeks after India’s suspension of the treaty, the court issued a procedural order on May 16 and requested the parties to provide written submissions on the effect, if any, of these recent developments before the court.

Pakistan filed written submissions and no submissions were filed by India, but the court said it had considered New Delhi’s position.

“The current phase of the proceedings before the Court concerns the overall interpretation and application of the Treaty’s provisions on hydro-electric project design and operation, as well as the legal effect of past decisions of dispute resolution bodies under the Treaty,” it said.

“Accordingly, the text of the Treaty, read in light of its object and purpose, does not to allow either Party, acting unilaterally, to hold in abeyance or suspend an ongoing dispute settlement process.”

Under the IWT, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. The pact also gives the right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers.

On July 6, 2023, the PCA had issued its award on competence after considering India’s objections. In a unanimous decision, the court had ruled that it was competent to consider and determine the disputes set forth in

Pakistan’s request for arbitration in the case. Pakistan had initiated the present arbitral proceedings before the court on August 19, 2016.

The South Asian neighbors have been arguing over hydroelectric projects on the shared Indus river and its tributaries for decades, with Pakistan complaining that India’s planned hydropower dams will cut flows on the river, which feeds 80 percent of its irrigated agriculture.

The PCA noted on Friday that the principal issue concerned the implications, if any, that India’s decision to hold the treaty in “abeyance” may have on the competence of the court.

“Paragraph 16 of Annexure G to the Treaty provides that ‘[s]ubject to the provisions of this Treaty and except as the Parties may otherwise agree, the Court shall decide all questions relating to its competence’,” the PCA said.

“Accordingly, the Court found that it was for the Court — and the Court alone — to answer the question before it.”

New Delhi’s halting of the water agreement was one of a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures taken by both countries in the immediate aftermath of the April 22 attack in Kashmir, which resulted in a four-day military conflict between the neighbors in May.


Pakistan vows to continue teamwork, coordination with Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026

Updated 30 June 2025
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Pakistan vows to continue teamwork, coordination with Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026

  • Pakistan sent over 115,000 Hajj pilgrims under both government and private schemes to Saudi Arabia this year
  • Saudi Hajj ministry praises “exceptional” measures undertaken by Pakistan for its pilgrims, says Pakistani religion ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj mission met a high-level Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah delegation on Monday to discuss the successful completion of this year’s pilgrimage, the Pakistani religion ministry said, vowing to continue the same spirit of teamwork and service for Hajj 2026. 

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of worshippers to Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan sent more than 115,000 pilgrims under both government and private schemes. Pakistan’s religion ministry said earlier this month that it is finalizing preparations to launch early registration for both private and government Hajj 2026 schemes to streamline the pilgrimage process. 

The Saudi delegation visited the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Makkah to convey their thanks and congratulations on the successful completion of Hajj 2025, Pakistan’s religion ministry said in a statement. The delegation commended the exceptional arrangements and services provided to Pakistani pilgrims, it added. 

The visiting delegation included Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, the deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, Eyad bin Ahmed Rahbini, assistant deputy minister for Hajj operations and Dr. Badr Muhammad Al-Solami, the director general of Hajj affairs.

“During the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of continuing the same spirit of service, coordination and teamwork for Hajj 2026, with a shared commitment to enhancing facilities for pilgrims,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said. 

MoRA said Dr. Mashat praised the Pakistan Hajj Mission for its professional capabilities, sincere efforts and the arrangements it had undertaken for pilgrims. He described the initiatives taken for the service of Pakistani pilgrims as “exemplary and worthy of appreciation.”

Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro appreciated the Saudi delegation’s visit. He highlighted the Saudi Hajj ministry’s guidance and cooperation in the smooth execution of Hajj operations, the religion ministry said. 

Soomro presented a commemorative shield to the Saudi delegation as a token of gratitude and goodwill at the end of the meeting, MoRA said.

“The gesture symbolized not only appreciation for their visit but also the hope for continued bilateral cooperation in future Hajj endeavors,” the religion ministry said. 

Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operations on June 11 with the arrival of a Pakistan International Airlines flight, PK-732, in Islamabad carrying 307 pilgrims. The flights are expected to conclude by July 10.


Superstar Mahira Khan criticizes India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities’ social media accounts

Updated 3 min 34 sec ago
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Superstar Mahira Khan criticizes India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities’ social media accounts

  • India blocked access to social media accounts of Pakistanis following a plunge in relations last month
  • Khan insists she loves her Indian fans, emphasizes role of artists in forging cross-border connections

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top actor Mahira Khan has spoken out against India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities and social media accounts, calling it a “political game” and emphasizing the role of artists in building cross-border connections.

India banned the social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities and influencers in early May, days before the two nuclear-armed countries took part in their worst military confrontation in decades, trading artillery fire, missile strikes and drone attacks for four days before the US brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 

New Delhi’s measures to ban Pakistan accounts came in response to India’s allegations that Islamabad was involved in an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 were killed. Pakistan denies involvement and has repeatedly called for an international probe.

When asked what she thought about India’s ban, Khan said she had “zero reaction” to it and still loved her fans in India.

“Fans are fans. People are people, they are the public. What does it [have to do] with politics?” the actress told Independent Urdu in an interview. 

“Anyway, it [politics] eventually connects obviously but this is a political game that ‘Okay, we will close this, we will ban this, we will do that.’ I don’t believe in that.”

Khan said she did not believe in banning art, wondering why artists were the first to bear the brunt of “political problems” between nations. 

“It is strange, isn’t it, that a war erupts or there is a political problem, then the first attack, why do we do it on artists? This is something to think about,” the actor asked. 

“Because artists are the people, and art is the thing that connects people. So the first thing is you ban this, that this [art] dies, love, that there is no love.”

Pakistan’s telecommunication authority responded with measures of its own on May 7, announcing it had blocked 16 YouTube channels and 32 websites from India for spreading “anti-Pakistan propaganda” and disseminating false information.

Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid actors from Pakistan and the recipient of several accolades, including seven Lux Style Awards and seven Hum Awards. She has also made a mark in international cinema, most notably in the Bollywood flick ‘Raees’ in which she stared alongside Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in 2017.

In addition to acting, Khan promotes social causes such as women’s rights and the refugee crisis and is vocal about issues such as child abuse and sexual harassment. Khan has been a national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2019.

While the ceasefire between India and Pakistan persists, tensions continue to simmer as New Delhi says it will continue to hold in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. The treaty guarantees water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.


World Bank appoints Bolormaa Amgaabazar as new country director for Pakistan

Updated 30 June 2025
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World Bank appoints Bolormaa Amgaabazar as new country director for Pakistan

  • New director takes helm as World Bank rolls out $40billion decade-long development plan
  • Appointment comes amid economic pressures and calls for deeper reform under IMF loan

KARACHI: The World Bank has appointed Bolormaa Amgaabazar as its new country director for Pakistan, effective tomorrow, Tuesday, succeeding Najy Benhassine who had held the position since 2020.

Amgaabazar’s appointment comes as the World Bank launches a major new 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with Pakistan, committing up to $40 billion in combined support from its financing arms. The CPF, approved earlier this year, will focus on tackling child stunting, improving education, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting structural reforms to boost private sector-led growth.

“The World Bank and Pakistan have a long-standing partnership that has benefited millions of people over generations,” Amgaabazar said in a statement. 

“I look forward to deepening our engagement with the federal and provincial governments, local institutions, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and other stakeholders.”

A Mongolian national, Amgaabazar joined the World Bank in 2004 and has worked in East Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She previously held leadership roles in the Bank’s offices in the Kyrgyz Republic and, most recently, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Prior to joining the Bank, she worked in international development in Mongolia and Southeast Asia.

“We will continue to support Pakistan to address some of its most acute development challenges including child stunting, learning poverty, its exceptional exposure to the impacts of climate change, and the sustainability of its energy sector,” Amgaabazar added.

Since the World Bank Group started operating in Pakistan in 1950, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the main lending arm of the Bank, has provided over $48.3 billion in assistance. The International Finance Corporation, which focuses on private sector development, has invested approximately $13 billion to advance private sector‑led solutions, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement to encourage foreign direct investment, has provided $836 million in guarantees. 

The current portfolio for IBRD, IFC and MIGA in Pakistan includes 106 projects and a total commitment of $17 billion.

The country has teetered on the brink of economic crisis for several years and economists and international financial institutions have called for major economic reforms.

Pakistan is currently under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program, which requires the country to boost government revenues and shore up external sources of financing, much of which comes from loans from China and Gulf nations.


As PM urges new tourism push, Swat river tragedy raises alarm over tourist safety

Updated 30 June 2025
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As PM urges new tourism push, Swat river tragedy raises alarm over tourist safety

  • 13 tourists from family of 17 swept away in Swat River on Friday during rise in water levels caused by monsoon rains
  • Rains and floods in 2022 inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed Pakistan’s tourism authorities to take immediate steps to boost the country’s international profile as a travel destination, including launching a global branding campaign, creating special tourism zones and attracting long-term investment in the sector.

While the prime minister did not refer to it during a Monday meeting on tourism development, his comments come just three days after a deadly flash flood in the scenic Swat Valley killed 13 members of a single tourist family.

According to rescue officials in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Swat is located, 17 family members were swept away in the Swat River on Friday during a sudden rise in water levels caused by monsoon rains. Twelve bodies had been recovered as of Sunday, with search operations ongoing for the final missing person. The incident drew widespread condemnation in the media and online over what many called a slow response by emergency services.

“Pakistan’s tourism sector holds unlimited potential to earn foreign exchange,” the prime minister said at Monday’s meeting, according to a statement from his office.

“God Almighty has blessed Pakistan with natural resources and timeless beauty.”

Pakistan offers a diverse range of tourism attractions, drawing visitors with its dramatic landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture.

From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush in the north, home to some of the world’s highest mountains like K2, to the ancient ruins of Mohenjo-Daro and Taxila, the country blends natural beauty with archaeological significance.

The Hunza, Swat, and Skardu valleys are popular for trekking, mountaineering, and scenic retreats, while cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad offer a mix of Mughal architecture, bustling bazaars, colonial-era landmarks, and modern urban life.

Religious tourism is also growing, with sites such as Kartarpur for Sikh pilgrims and the Buddhist ruins in Takht-i-Bahi. Pakistan’s coastline along the Arabian Sea, its deserts, forests, and diverse cultures make it a unique destination with year-round tourism potential.

Sharif directed the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation to move swiftly on plans to showcase the country abroad as a tourism brand, stressing public-private partnerships and stronger federal-provincial coordination to develop tourism infrastructure across the country.

“With snow-covered mountains, forests, rivers, as well as plains and desert areas, our country is not behind any nation in the world in terms of tourism,” Sharif said.

“Under the vision for national development, we will place Pakistan among the world’s leading tourist destinations.”

Officials at the meeting briefed the prime minister on proposals to promote medical tourism, develop recreational areas and improve access to northern tourist regions. 

Sharif emphasized encouraging domestic tourism alongside international promotion.

“Special measures should be taken to encourage domestic tourism and the arrival of local tourists at recreational spots,” he said. “Planning should be done to ensure long-term investment in the tourism sector.”

Since Friday’s tragedy in Swat, videos widely shared on social media have showed tourists stranded on rocks midstream, shouting for help as floodwaters surged. 

Survivors have widely said rescue services took hours to reach the scene.

The incident has sparked criticism over disaster preparedness in tourist areas.

The disaster was part of a broader wave of flash flooding across northern Pakistan last week, which has killed at least 32 people, according to rescue agencies.

Weather officials have warned of above-average monsoon rains this year, raising further concern over the vulnerability of tourist destinations in mountainous areas.

Forecasters say they cannot rule out a repeat of the “extreme situation” seen during devastating floods in 2022 when rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction.