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Home  » News » PM's childhood friend leaves for Pakistan

PM's childhood friend leaves for Pakistan

Source: PTI
June 17, 2008 01:00 IST
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's childhood friend Raja Mohammed Ali, who was in India for the past few days, on Monday crossed over to Pakistan through the Indo-Pak Attari checkpost in Attari.

Raja came to India for the first time after independence on May 23 to meet Dr Singh.

Before leaving for Pakistan, Ali was accorded a farewell by DAV Public School of Amritsar.

Talking to reporters about his meeting with Dr Singh, Raja said, "On reaching the prime minister's house, my eyes searched for Mohna. All of sudden -- Mohna entered and spontaneously hugged me. I never expected this kind of affection, warmth and welcome from one who has become the prime minister of one of the biggest countries of the world."

Raja said that when he presented the pair of Chakwali Tilley Wali Juttis (traditional Punjabi handmade foot wear) to Dr Singh, he took off his shoes and wore them there forthwith.

"It made my heart flutter and I felt speechless. I also presented the village soil and the soil from our old school, besides the water sent with wishes from the entire village (from Pakistan) and invited my friend to visit his ancestral village that was waiting eagerly for the son of its soil," he said.

"During the meeting with Mohna, I wrapped the 110-year-old lachcha (shawl), a family heirloom, that had been woven in silk by my grandparents, around Dr Singh. We talked about old times and he asked me about several landmarks and people of the village," he said.

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