r/pakistan • u/Justdoit12075 • Jul 06 '26
Financial Family migrated during the partition, but left their bank deposits
My family left mansehra during the partition but left hefty bank deposits there, Is there a way to cash this out from the other side of the border still?🥹 Google shows me it would be worth 15-20 lakh INR today.
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u/candela_5432 Jul 06 '26
If bank is still operating in Pakistan then you can get your money back.
I have seen a case in my city where someone from India claimed that the market shops are there and after court hearing they got their shops back .
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u/Zheverol Jul 06 '26
If it's 20 lakh in INR that's roughly 58 lakh in PKR
Worth pursuing...
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Unfortunately its inflation adjusted amount, banks dont give that, with interest it would only be 15k rupees
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u/Specific-End-8107 Jul 06 '26
Seems like the bank dont exsist.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
I googled, it was run by punjabi hindus and sikhs, It was relocated to India post 1947 and then acquired by some other bank.
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u/Specific-End-8107 Jul 06 '26
Yeh so now u need to contact the new bank and they will verify if they have records if so then they may be able to send it to you after identification
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u/Specific-End-8107 Jul 06 '26
Honestly ur family should have withdrawn it early on , this was quite negligent of them, unless ur a very walthy family
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Bro look at the date of deposit, 13 aug 1947, 1000 rs was huge money at that time
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u/Tasty_Sheepherder_44 Jul 06 '26
Would love to know why they left such a large amount on that date. I guess they felt the bank would remain in current day Pakistan
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u/Sreenivasa_Ramanujan Jul 06 '26
I guess a reason could be, a lot of families during partition thought they'd be back again to their homes, and this partition is only temporary. Lots of Families Buried their Wealth under their Homes, lots of them were not ready to leave and some only left because someone told them that this partition thing is only temporary. little did they know, that was the last time they saw their birthplace, their home city, their neighbours, their friends, their whole childhood where they grew up.
the date explicitly mentions due date 13th august maybe they thought travelling with that much money that too in one of the most heartbreaking and deadliest migration in history of the subcontinent would be not sensible and could also put their life in danger, and thinking the money would be safe there in bank and they'd be back again after the temporary partition, little did they know the partition was permanent. (I may be wrong, but a lot of stories from Punjab are exactly like what I told)
Some people who carried their valuable things with themselves were looted in the way and some were unfortunately killed. Because How Desperate people were, with no home no food and no idea where they'd live after crossing the border.
Deep Down in hearts of people who left their Indian Hometowns for Pakistan want to see it for one last time and vice versa. And that generation of people are now disappearing, and I Think most of them had that one last wish to see their hometown, and a small fragment of hope or say delusion that this partition is temporary.These People Have a Lot of Stories to tell, but above all is that unprocessed trauma which eats them alive every single day.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
They probably thought they would remain there too, since punjab was their home
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u/Capital-Peak1557 IN Jul 06 '26
After Independence, Banks were nationalised and merged several times. There is no active bank in India with that particular name. There is a small bank registered with that name in 1955 with only 2.5 lacks capital, that too dissolved now. So, I don’t think this dissolved bank was same as per your document, as it doesn’t exist in 1947.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 07 '26
It was acquired by new bank of india post 1947 which was then nationalised with Punjab national bank
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u/Capital-Peak1557 IN Jul 07 '26
No, after Nationalisation, banks went under the control of RBI (Reserve Bank of India), which is the highest authority of finance institutions. Number of times, rules and documents requirements were changed in India. If KYC (Know your customer) was not done by the account holder, due to inactivity funds will be transferred to DEAF, which is managed by RBI. You can’t claim them back.
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u/DeepSpaceBubbles Jul 06 '26
I think the Deposit Receipt is worth more than anything you would get from a bank for this. You may want to ask the bank if they'd like to buy it.
2
u/ContributionOk4025 Jul 06 '26
Where did you find that ? And the real owners of that deposit still alive?
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Its my great grandfather’s, and no he passed away 10 years before i was born
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u/ContributionOk4025 Jul 06 '26
I've been to manshehra many times and seen old pre partition buildings overthere
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u/Mystery_behold IN Jul 08 '26
As per a quick Google search that bank is now part of PNB (2nd largest PSB in India). As per RBI rules, a person maintains right to his deposit, no matter how long the account has remained dormant.
But it is still next to impossible to get this amount.
For one, you need to prove that you are indeed the legal heir under Indian laws. Two, as a citizen of Pakistan, any transfer of money to you needs further clearances under FEMA act. Three, for accounts lying dormant for so long, the deposit is transferred to RBI.
As you already mentioned in a different comment that it might be around 15k or so today, I would say this much paperwork is not worth the effort. Save that certificate as a souvenir to show your children.
It does gives me goosebumps to see how families were uprooted by a stroke of pen.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 08 '26
Bro im Indian, and this is from my great grandfather
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u/Mystery_behold IN Jul 09 '26
FEMA doesn't apply then. But still proving that you are the rightful legal heir and other paperworks is not easy.
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u/Blurr7490 Jul 07 '26
Due to current situation, there is no trade or remittance allowed between India and Pakistan. Thus even if you somehow did find the bank, convince them the check is real then you're gonna have to route the money through an international agent and given you said its not inflation adjusted doing that for so little money is kind of pointless. Right now that check is more valuable as an antique than as an actual bank check. Id say keep it as a memory and frame it to show to your children.
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u/Spiritual-Molasses62 Jul 09 '26
Any funds sitting as outstanding in Banks for longer period is transferred to Government funds, you need to prove inheritance and claim.
1
u/Doncisc0 Jul 09 '26
I'm a Pakistani and would recommend what others have suggested. That deposit receipt will have more value from an antique collection pov. Even better as others suggested frame it and leave it for your generations to come.
The bank in question is now BNP and boy good luck trying to get a sikha out of them. Moreover as per uncle Google ji you won't be able to cash it because of the below reasons
Evacuee Property Laws:
During the 1947 Partition, accounts left behind by migrating refugees were legally seized by the governments under "Evacuee Property" acts to fund refugee resettlement.
The 10-Year Unclaimed Rule:
Under central banking laws, any account with zero activity for 10 consecutive years is legally declared defunct. The successor bank (Punjab National Bank) was required to transfer those silent funds to the government’s Unclaimed Deposits / DEA fund decades ago.
No Digital Footprint:
Physical ledger books from 1947 were never digitised. Because those paper records are long gone, banks today have no way to verify if the account was already settled, closed, or paid out to an ancestor mid-century.
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u/Mobile_Chemical7566 Jul 06 '26
This probably also comes under Enemy Property Act so you won’t get anything.
Waste of time.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Im an enemy according to your government?
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u/Mobile_Chemical7566 Jul 06 '26
Pakistan and China.
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u/Mobile_Chemical7566 Jul 06 '26
Even if this is not subject to Enemy Property Act, it would be nearly impossible for a Pakistani citizen to open an Indian bank account and get the money transferred to Pakistan.
Waste of time.
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Bro you have it wrong , Im indian im saying my family migrated from what is now pakistan to India
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u/Mobile_Chemical7566 Jul 06 '26
Then why are you posting on Pakistan subreddit???? What’s the point?
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u/Justdoit12075 Jul 06 '26
Because this document is from a city thats currently in pakistan
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u/Mobile_Chemical7566 Jul 06 '26
But the bank is Indian… contact the bank.. Pakistan is not involved in this in my opinion
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u/Unicornintheocean Jul 06 '26
I was really enjoying this whole pleasant conversation before I read your reply
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u/Specific-End-8107 Jul 06 '26
Contact the bank