Indian hospitality moves them
New Delhi, October 17
Hindustan Times
In an event that augurs well for people-to-people contact
between India and Pakistan, a group of schoolchildren from
Pakistan are here to play cricket.
The visting students, who have played two cricket matches
with the local Salwan Public School, met Foreign Minister
Jaswant Singh at the Hyderabad House today.
The teenage students were all praise for the Indian
hospitality and had a lot to tell about their visit to the
city of the Taj.
Almost of all them felt that such exchanges between India
and Pakistan should continue in the future.
Mohd. Billal, 17, from Islamabad said: “People were
hospitable and warm, it was different from what I had
imagined.”
Echoed Uzma Hayder (16): “I liked the people and was also
impressed by their friendliness. I believe that such
exchanges will clear several misconceptions.” As Fatima
Aamir (16) put it “New Delhi is cool. Almost everyone can
speak English here!”
The Indian Foreign Minister was all grace and charm. He gave
a warm welcome to the students and expressed hope that the
future of the subcontinent was safe in their hands.
He commented: “Such encounters give hope that the two
countries can live in peace in the future. India wants to
have the best of relations with Pakistan. It was with that
in mind that the Lahore bus service was not terminated even
at the worst of times. India has also liberalised its Visa
regime for Pakistan.”
Mr Jaswant Singh also presented a book to the visiting
Pakistani students while commenting in a lighter vein that
he, however, knew that it was terrible to inflict books on
schoolchildren.
Social psychologist Ashis Nandy of the Centre for the Study
of Developing Societies commented, “Such events have
tremendous possibilities as both sides get to cut through the propaganda and learn that the other side is not one of demons.”
Speaking of the likeness in culture and behaviour of the people, 15-year-old Rizwan from Lahore articulated, “There are so many similarities, we are almost the same sort of people.”
New Delhi, October 17
Hindustan Times
In an event that augurs well for people-to-people contact
between India and Pakistan, a group of schoolchildren from
Pakistan are here to play cricket.
The visting students, who have played two cricket matches
with the local Salwan Public School, met Foreign Minister
Jaswant Singh at the Hyderabad House today.
The teenage students were all praise for the Indian
hospitality and had a lot to tell about their visit to the
city of the Taj.
Almost of all them felt that such exchanges between India
and Pakistan should continue in the future.
Mohd. Billal, 17, from Islamabad said: “People were
hospitable and warm, it was different from what I had
imagined.”
Echoed Uzma Hayder (16): “I liked the people and was also
impressed by their friendliness. I believe that such
exchanges will clear several misconceptions.” As Fatima
Aamir (16) put it “New Delhi is cool. Almost everyone can
speak English here!”
The Indian Foreign Minister was all grace and charm. He gave
a warm welcome to the students and expressed hope that the
future of the subcontinent was safe in their hands.
He commented: “Such encounters give hope that the two
countries can live in peace in the future. India wants to
have the best of relations with Pakistan. It was with that
in mind that the Lahore bus service was not terminated even
at the worst of times. India has also liberalised its Visa
regime for Pakistan.”
Mr Jaswant Singh also presented a book to the visiting
Pakistani students while commenting in a lighter vein that
he, however, knew that it was terrible to inflict books on
schoolchildren.
Social psychologist Ashis Nandy of the Centre for the Study
of Developing Societies commented, “Such events have
tremendous possibilities as both sides get to cut through the propaganda and learn that the other side is not one of demons.”
Speaking of the likeness in culture and behaviour of the people, 15-year-old Rizwan from Lahore articulated, “There are so many similarities, we are almost the same sort of people.”