On September 27, a delegation of 20 students from Pakistan arrived in Chandigarh for the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival, bearing hand-written notes and friendship cards from various schools from across the country. But amid tensions that gripped India and Pakistan after the Uri attack, the girls were worried if they’ll return home safe.
Aliya Harir, a leader of the contingent and convenor of Indo-Pak friendship initiative titled Aaghaz-E-Dosti, reached out to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help the girls return to Pakistan.
Extremely overwhelmed. Spoke to @SushmaSwaraj ji who assured that Pakistani delegation of #GYPF2016 will reach Pakistan back safe. ? ?? ??
— Aliya Harir (@AliyaHarir) October 1, 2016
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
Harir later tweeted that the minister has assured her of help.
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”
Aap ki beti kehlane ka sharf hasil hai, aur kya chaheyay. The delegation has reached back home safe&immensely happy. Thanks a million times. https://t.co/JHH8VUj91Q
— Aliya Harir (@AliyaHarir) October 4, 2016
Swaraj has won huge praise and popularity on Twitter for reaching out to all those who asked her for help.
Recently she helped Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra when his coach lost his passport, 17-year-old Mashal Maheshwari with her medical entrance and a British couple who had a daughter in India with the help of a surrogate, and was being forced to leave her in India as UK was not giving her a passport.