NEW DELHI: When India’s Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj traveled to Pakistan to attend the “Heart of Asia” conference, she met four generations of the Sharif family — Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, his mother, daughter and granddaughters, The Hindustan Times reported.
Sushma revealed this in the Lok Sabha. What she did not was a few nostalgic and personal moments with Shamim Akhtar – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s mother - who had sought a ‘promise’ from her.
“You have come from my country, promise me you will return only after normalising the relationship,” Shamim reportedly told Sushma, as she hugged and kissed the India’s minister on her forehead during the meeting.
According to a source – who traveled with Sushma to Pakistan - the Indian minister sought Shamim’s blessings, saying, “Everything will be good in your shadow.”
During her meeting with Sushma, Shamim referred to India as “my country” several times and told Indian minister that she was born in Bheem ka Katra area of Amritsar in undivided India, the source said.
She also turned nostalgic and told Sushma that she was meeting somebody from her “homeland” for the first time after partition. “The meeting was equally nostalgic for Sushma,” the source said.
Nawaz’s mother had a grudge that she could never visit India after partition. After Sushma’s trip, the two sides decided to resume talks.
The India’s external affairs minister - who perhaps realised that a personal connect can do wonders in foreign relations - did not forget to convey a message to the prime minister’s mother before ending the trip.
“Tell your grandmother that I have kept my promise of normalising the relationship between the two countries,” Sushma reportedly told Maryam Nawaz before flying out of Islamabad.
