No politics here! Sushma Swaraj ensures safe return of 19 Pakistani girls

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Pic/AFP

Chandigarh: Nineteen girls from Pakistan who were in the city to take part in a youth festival left for home on Monday night, "overwhelmed" by the Indian hospitality. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she was concerned about their well-being as ‘daughters belong to all'.

The girls had reached the city Tuesday night on a seven-day visit to take part in the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival, which concluded on Sunday evening. After Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the LoC, parents of the girls had expressed concern about their welfare and the event's organisers had indicated that they might head back home earlier than scheduled.

Pramod Sharma, the event's organiser, said after the Indian authorities assured them that they should not worry about the girls while they are here, their trip carried on as per schedule. On October 1, head of the delegation Aliya Harir who runs a cross-border peace initiative Aghaz-e-Dosti had spoken to Swaraj who assured them all help. For most of the girls, this was their first visit to India.