Amidst Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) grand Holi celebrations after its thumping victory in UP polls, a Pakistani girl has penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing to work as a harbinger of peace “if he wants to win more elections in the future,” the Indian daily Hindustan Times reported.
Aqeedat Naveed (11), in her letter, said that the governments of Pakistan and India should buy more books instead of bullets to start a new chapter of peace between the two countries.
“Both countries should resolve that they will not buy guns, but will provide free medicines to hundreds of thousands of ailing people of both the nations,” she said.
Aqeedat’s father Ahmed Naveed, an assistant professor in National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, informed HT through a mail about her letter to Modi. Aqeedat and her brother Moarikh Naveed (14) also spoke to HT over phone.
The two-page handwritten letter, dated March 13, said that both the countries would benefit by maintaining good relations with each other.
Aqeedat had earned accolades in her country for writing letters in support of peace and tolerance to world leaders, including that of India and Pakistan.
In another letter, Aqeedat and her brother Moarikh Naveed had written to Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa congratulating him for the success of the recently launched Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad against terrorists. She praised him for his efforts to restore peace.
The duo also drew the attention of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the condition of Sikhs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, where the Sikhs continue to live without basic rights.
Aqeedat studies in Class 5 at Cathedral School, Lahore, while Moarrikh is in Class 8 in the same school.
Peace letter writing was Moarrikh’s idea. He said, “I took this idea from my syllabus and started writing letters for peace.” Aqeedat just followed him.
Earlier, too, the kids had written letters to leaders in India. “PM Modi sent a greeting card to us in return,” claimed Moarrikh’s father.
Indian ambassador in Islamabad Gautam Bambawale also answered Aqeedat’s letter.
Aqeedat also received a greeting card from 2016 Nobel peace prize winner and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
When Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was unwell some time back, Aqeedat wished her a speedy recovery through a letter.
She had written to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee among others. The kids strongly believed that India and Pakistan could become good friends.