Lahore: Describing Lahore as the "heaven on earth", Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has said she was "pleasantly shocked" by the love that the Pakistani people
have for their Indian counterparts.
"I am pleasantly shocked to see the love that Pakistanis have for Indians," Kumar said during an interaction with the media in Lahore.
"I have been given a lot of love here," she said before leaving for India this afternoon.
She said she would never forget the love she received in Pakistan.
Kumar said she had felt as if her five-day trip had gone by in "five seconds".
Kumar praised residents of Lahore for their love for Indians and prayed for cordial relations and peace between India and Pakistan.
"There should be a relationship of peace and friendship between the two countries. Both countries should resolve their outstanding issues through dialogue," she said.
Expressing her good wishes for the progress and well-being of Pakistan and its people, Kumar said her visit was a historic occasion as it was the first by a Lok Sabha Speaker.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif hosted a luncheon in honour of Kumar and the parliamentary delegation that accompanied her.
Sharif said: "Both Pakistan and India should fight poverty and unemployment as these are the common problems of the people across the borders".
During her two-day stay in Lahore, Kumar and her delegation visited the historic Data Darbar shrine to pay homage to the city’s patron saint, Hazart Ali Hajveri.
They also visited the Minar-e-Pakistan, the 'samadhi' of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Gurdwara Dera Sahib.
Yesterday, the delegation met Punjab Governor Latif Khosa and went to the Punjab Assembly and witnessed its proceedings for some time.
During her meeting with Khosa, Kumar expressed her love for Lahore, saying it was like "heaven on earth".
At her meeting with Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Kumar said, "The people of Pakistan have great love and affection for the people of India.
The people of India have sincere feelings and best wishes for the Pakistani nation".
Earlier, Kumar held meetings with her Pakistani counterpart Fehmida Mirza, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, acting President Farooq Naek and parliamentarians in
Islamabad.
She impressed her interlocutors by speaking in flawless Urdu at most of her public engagements.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 25, 2012, 18:02