My son went to the local authorities to ask if we could get permission to meet my relatives but they are mum. They have been telling him to come the next day. I still do not know if they will let us go.

We are a region with two masters. One is India and the other Pakistan. Each of them want to stick to their viewpoint and we are at the receiving end. In a calamity such as an earthquake we should be allowed to take our own decisions.

Even after such a tragedy, they (India and Pakistan) have not been able to rise beyond petty politics.

It is a frustrating experience.

No one cares about distant relatives nowadays. They went out of fashion years ago.

If they have relatives in the U.S., then they [the relatives] can petition for them to remain here in the U.S.. They may also be held as material witnesses in a criminal human-smuggling operation.