With Rishi Sunak all set to be the first non-White Prime Minister of Britain, arch-rivals India and Pakistan are on the cusp of history to share a pride, though none of them played a role in it. The 42-year-old former chancellor, a devout Hindu, was elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali as Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race.
Sunak’s grandparents originated from British India but their birthplace Gujranwala lies in modern day Pakistan’s Punjab province. Thus, in an odd way, the new British leader is both an Indian and a Pakistani.
While Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton to Hindu-Punjabi parents, his grandparents were from Gujranwala, now in Pakistan. Gujranwala, known for its good food and wrestling culture, is about 1.5 hours from Punjab province’s provincial capital Lahore. Before the Partition, when Rishi’s grandparents lived in Gujranwala, the city was a locality surrounded by at least seven gates that served as entry and exit points. It is now known as Gujranwala’s downtown, a report by ABP Live said.
A report by ABP News explored Gujranwala to learn more about the location of Rishi Sunak’s grandparents’ home and life in the early 1930s, when communal riots and bloodshed forced many people to flee to either side of the border.
A Look Inside
Gujranwala is a congested, densely populated area with narrow streets lined with clothing, jewellery, electronics, and other stores. The area has a smattering of Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and abandoned houses over 100 years old that, despite deterioration, stood tall and beautiful among small renovated houses, the report said.
According to locals, most of the people who witnessed the bloody riots of the 1930s and then migrated across the border are no longer alive, but their families still live in the same homes.
During the communal riots, bloodshed and insecurity forced many Hindu and Sikh families to flee their lavish lifestyles, expensive mansions, and large businesses in order to protect themselves and their families.
In the midst of the riots, Rishi’s paternal grandfather, Ramdas Sunak, left Gujranwala in 1935 to work as a clerk in Nairobi. Suhag Rani Sunak, his wife, moved to Delhi from Gujranwala with her mother-in-law before travelling to Kenya in 1937. Suhag Rani and Ramdas had six children, three sons and three daughters.
Rishi’s father, Yashveer Sunak, was born in Nairobi in 1949. Yashveer moved to Liverpool in 1966 and studied medicine at the University of Liverpool. In 1977, Yashveer married Usha in Leicester. Rishi was born in Southampton three years later, in 1980.
India & Pak Lay Claim
Though officially nothing has been said in Pakistan about Sunak, some on social media have suggested the government to lay its claim on him. “I think Pakistan should also lay claim on Rishi Sunak because his paternal grandparents were from Gujranwala who from there migrated to Kenya and then to Britain, one Shafat Shah tweeted.
Someone with a Twitter handle as Grand Finale wrote: “Wow! What a tremendous achievement. A Pakistani has now ascended to the highest office in England. Anything is possible if you believe.” But others suggested that both Pakistan and India should be proud of the new British leader.
“Going to bed in the US with hopes that a #Punjabi from #Gujranwala will be the #PrimeMinister of the #UK in the morning! Both #Pakistan and #India should be jointly proud of this moment! tweeted Yaqoob Bangash.
There are also fears that the two countries may live up to their reputation of animosity and even try to cross lines while laying claim that Sunak is the son of their respective lands, said 35-year-old Zulfiqar Jatt. “Since Gujranwala is in Pakistan, anyone who belonged to this city even a 100 years ago is a Pakistani today, Jatt told PTI.
Others like Akhtar Saleem are more down to earth and want Sunak to address the longstanding issue of the Kohinoor diamond. “Since he is becoming prime minister, I think Pakistan should ask him to return the Kohinoor diamond which was stolen from Lahore, Saleem said.
With inputs from PTI
Read all the Latest News here
Comments
0 comment