India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj smiles while addressing the India Africa business forum in New Delhi, India. PHOTO: REUTERS
Amid rising tension between India and Pakistan, a touching Twitter exchange between a Pakistani girl and the Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has gone viral.
Pakistani citizen Aliya Harir reached out to Swaraj to ensure her delegation's safe return to Pakistan after the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival in Chandigarh. After a reassuring response from Swaraj, she tweeted, “Extremely overwhelmed. Spoke to @SushmaSwaraj ji who assured that Pakistani delegation of #GYPF2016 will reach Pakistan back safe.”
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https://twitter.com/AliyaHarir/status/782287645598584832
To this, the minister replied; “Aliya – I was concerned about your well-being kyonki betiyan to sabki sanjhi hoti hain.”
Aliya - I was concerned about your well being kyonki betiyan to sabki sanjhi hoti hain. https://t.co/9QyeMQfRwy
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 3, 2016
Aliya responded to the minister's Tweet writing, "Aap ki beti kehlane ka sharf hasil hai, aur kya chaheyay. The delegation has reached back home safe&immensely happy. Thanks a million times"
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https://twitter.com/AliyaHarir/status/783157680450011136
Aliya told The Express Tribune that she had spoken to Sushma on October 1. She said the foreign minister had asked her about how she felt being in India. Aliya said she also asked if the delegation had faced any trouble.
She said she had told Sushma that India felt like home. "Mein samajhtee hoon beta, logon key beech bohat pyaar hai,” the foreign minister told her. Aliya said Sushma had assured her that she would ensure the delegation’s safe return to Pakistan and she need not worry about anything.
Aliya led a 19-student delegation bearing hand-written notes and friendship cards from various schools in Pakistan. At the festival, she won the Global Youth Icon Award for her initiative Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-Pak friendship initiative.
https://twitter.com/AliyaHarir/status/783193088151937025
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Aliya revealed that the girls’ parents and relatives were afraid for their safety in India, but they still went ahead with their tour. “There is talk of war and tension, but we wanted to come here. Our families were shocked, scared. Friends even said tell us your last wish. I told them to turn the TV off and let us go,” Roohani Barkal, one of the girls, told Hindustan Times.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly earlier in September, Sushma Swaraj urged Pakistan to abandon its “Kashmir dream”, claiming the disputed territory was an integral part of her country. Sushma’s address came as the two nuclear-armed nations and arch-rivals exchange barbs over an attack on an Indian military base in Srinagar earlier this month which had left 18 uniformed men killed.
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