India-Pakistan partition - in pictures

  • Narindra Singh Pujji, 93, clearly remembers his days as a college student in Pakistan. He left Lahore days before the land was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
    Narindra Singh Pujji, 93, clearly remembers his days as a college student in Pakistan. He left Lahore days before the land was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
  • UAE residents, clockwise from top left, Narindra Singh Pujji, Vinay Varma, Muljimal Chachara and Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha, alongside photographs of them when they were young. All four witnessed the turmoil the 1947 India-Pakistan partition. Khushnum Bhandari and Victor Besa / The National
    UAE residents, clockwise from top left, Narindra Singh Pujji, Vinay Varma, Muljimal Chachara and Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha, alongside photographs of them when they were young. All four witnessed the turmoil the 1947 India-Pakistan partition. Khushnum Bhandari and Victor Besa / The National
  • Three generations of Pujjis in Dubai: Narindra Singh Pujji with his grandson Kabir, left, daughter-in-law Ekta and son Mandeep. Victor Besa / The National
    Three generations of Pujjis in Dubai: Narindra Singh Pujji with his grandson Kabir, left, daughter-in-law Ekta and son Mandeep. Victor Besa / The National
  • A photograph of Narindra Singh Pujji as he is now, alongside early pictures of him. Victor Besa / The National
    A photograph of Narindra Singh Pujji as he is now, alongside early pictures of him. Victor Besa / The National
  • Photographs of Narindra Singh Pujji decorate a wall in his Dubai home, looking back at his days as a student in Pakistan and Delhi in the 1940s. Victor Besa / The National
    Photographs of Narindra Singh Pujji decorate a wall in his Dubai home, looking back at his days as a student in Pakistan and Delhi in the 1940s. Victor Besa / The National
  • Narindra Singh Pujji's parents, Teja Singh Pujji and Gunwant Kaur, in Lyallpur, now Faisalabad, in Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
    Narindra Singh Pujji's parents, Teja Singh Pujji and Gunwant Kaur, in Lyallpur, now Faisalabad, in Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
  • Narindra Singh Pujji's father Teja Singh Pujji, standing, back left, grandfather, seated, left, and great grandfather, seated, second left, with relatives at a family gathering in present-day Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
    Narindra Singh Pujji's father Teja Singh Pujji, standing, back left, grandfather, seated, left, and great grandfather, seated, second left, with relatives at a family gathering in present-day Pakistan. Victor Besa / The National
  • Narindra Singh Pujji shows his college identity card from Forman Christian College – better known as FC College – in Lahore, where he studied before leaving Pakistan for India in 1947. Victor Besa / The National
    Narindra Singh Pujji shows his college identity card from Forman Christian College – better known as FC College – in Lahore, where he studied before leaving Pakistan for India in 1947. Victor Besa / The National
  • Narindra Singh Pujji, centre, at age 12 with his family. Victor Besa / The National
    Narindra Singh Pujji, centre, at age 12 with his family. Victor Besa / The National
  • Three generations of Pasha women: Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha, centre, with her daughter Dua Sultan Pasha, left, and granddaughter Aisha Shahzad Ahmed, at their Abu Dhabi home. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Three generations of Pasha women: Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha, centre, with her daughter Dua Sultan Pasha, left, and granddaughter Aisha Shahzad Ahmed, at their Abu Dhabi home. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha says the 1947 partition left a deep impact on families. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha says the 1947 partition left a deep impact on families. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha shows a photograph of her with husband with Mohammed Sultan Pasha on their wedding day in Karachi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha shows a photograph of her with husband with Mohammed Sultan Pasha on their wedding day in Karachi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha pictured with her younger brothers and sisters in Karachi.
    Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha pictured with her younger brothers and sisters in Karachi.
  • Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha in medical school in Karachi in the 1960s.
    Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha in medical school in Karachi in the 1960s.
  • A photograph of Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha as a young woman in Karachi, on display at the family home. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    A photograph of Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha as a young woman in Karachi, on display at the family home. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha holds an photograph of her working as a gynecologist in Karachi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Dr Rafeeya Sultan Pasha holds an photograph of her working as a gynecologist in Karachi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Muljimal Chachara, 84, fled Karachi for India with his family as they were preparing his sister's wedding. Victor Besa / The National
    Muljimal Chachara, 84, fled Karachi for India with his family as they were preparing his sister's wedding. Victor Besa / The National
  • Muljimal Chachara with a photograph of him taken at the old Dubai airport. Victor Besa / The National
    Muljimal Chachara with a photograph of him taken at the old Dubai airport. Victor Besa / The National
  • Muljimal Chachara has no personal photographs of his childhood in Pakistan. This image shows the Bhatia community to which he belongs, with the names of relatives written below. Victor Besa / The National
    Muljimal Chachara has no personal photographs of his childhood in Pakistan. This image shows the Bhatia community to which he belongs, with the names of relatives written below. Victor Besa / The National
  • Muljimal Chachara's son unearthed photographs of the Bhatia community in Pakistan, taken in Karachi in the 1930s. Victor Besa / The National
    Muljimal Chachara's son unearthed photographs of the Bhatia community in Pakistan, taken in Karachi in the 1930s. Victor Besa / The National
  • Vinay Varma, 76, has set up a number of successful restaurants in the UAE. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Vinay Varma, 76, has set up a number of successful restaurants in the UAE. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Vinay Varma points to a photograph of him as a small child in his mother's arms, in Rawalpindi, before the 1947 partition. The album page contains other family photographs from the 1940s. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Vinay Varma points to a photograph of him as a small child in his mother's arms, in Rawalpindi, before the 1947 partition. The album page contains other family photographs from the 1940s. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • A close-up of the photograph of Vinay Varma with his mother in Rawalpindi, where the family lived before the partition. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    A close-up of the photograph of Vinay Varma with his mother in Rawalpindi, where the family lived before the partition. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Vinay Varma speaks of warmth between the people of India and Pakistan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Vinay Varma speaks of warmth between the people of India and Pakistan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National