My father, Avtar Narain, hailed from Jhelum district. He was a member of the Karachi constituent assembly when partition was announced. Mr. Jinnah had summoned him. My father went accompanied by my brother I.K. Gujral (who went on to become the Indian Prime Minister). Mr. Jinnah offered him the post of the finance minister. My father said he would get back by evening.

Later that evening, my father got a call saying that Jhelum was burning. Mr. Jinnah sent a private vehicle to escort my father to Lahore where he managed to find me in a refugee camp. That night it was announced that people leaving for India will get immigration. I remember going with my father as a twenty-year-old to Jhelum the next day. The next seven months I helped my father in taking refugees from Jhelum, Rawalpindi and Sargodha, twice a week, in official convoys to Jallandhar and delivering them safely there.

None my age who is alive today, on either side of the border knows Lahore like I do.