Pakistan trip: Meira Kumar says she is "pleasantly shocked"

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".