J&K: Man returns from Muzaffarabad to see family alive

The resolve to join his family in the hour of crisis prompted a 36-year-old man to trek all the way from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to his village in Uri sector ravaged by the massive earthquake. The effort was not in vain as he found his family members safe and sound at Dardkote village in Uri on Thursday.

Javed Ahmad had gone to visit his kins in Muzaffarabad in PoK in the last 'Caravan-e-Aman' bus. He was at his relative's house at Hatyain in Muzaffarabad when the quake struck on Saturday. On reaching Aman Setu on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar road by foot, he established contact with the Indian army with the help of Pakistani authorities, official sources said in Srinagar on Thursday.

As vehicular traffic was unavailable on both sides of the line of control, he had to traverse the distance of nearly 70 kilometres on foot. His family members had escaped with minor injuries in the calamity, sources added. Unconfirmed reports said that a local youth from Gawalta village of Uri also reached his home from PoK Wednesday evening. Zubair, who had crossed over to other side and was reportedly serving a sentence in a PoK jail, escaped the prison after it collapsed in the quake. However, the report could not be verified independently.

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