New Delhi: Whether Manmohan Singh can accept Asif Ali Zardari’s long-standing invite is uncertain but 128 Indians were today treated as “state guests” when chance brought them unannounced to the Pakistan President’s hometown early this morning.
Recent Indo-Pak recriminations over 26/11 suspect Abu Jundal’s alleged revelations didn’t come in the way of Pakistani authorities going “out of their way” to help an Air India plane’s 122 passengers and six-member crew after it made an emergency landing at Nawabshah, Sindh.
The passengers, however, spent some 12 hours cooped up inside the plane after the pilot declined the offers of transit visa for them to use the airport lounge.
But Indian officials were full of praise for the way the Pakistanis went beyond what is expected in such situations to make the Indians comfortable, even before foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai or Indian high commission officials in Islamabad could officially request help.
Sources in New Delhi said the incident was an example of the warmth in people-to-people relations between the two countries.
“The passengers were very well treated by the Pakistani authorities. They were very helpful and cooperative in providing emergency landing facilities, speedy clearance to the relief plane, and water and refreshments to the stranded passengers and in offering transit visas, if needed,” a South Block official said.
Pakistan’s national carrier, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), later provided the money for refuelling the Indian relief plane with the Indian high commission serving as guarantor.
10/07/12 The Telegraph
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