When Pakistan travel to Ahmedabad for their mega clash with India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 later this month, Liyakat Khan of Nuh district in Haryana will get a chance to hold his grandchild for the first time.
Liyakat’s daughter Samiya got married to Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali in 2019. Two years, later she gave birth to a girl but Liyakat hasn’t been able to see her since Samiya wasn’t able to travel to India.
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The October 14 clash between India and Pakistan will provide Liyakat a chance to not only reunite with his daughter but also hold his two-year-old granddaughter.
“My wife went to Pakistan in 2021 when my daughter was expecting her first child. We will meet again, hopefully, in Ahmedabad. I can’t wait to hold my grandchild,” Liyakat was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Liyakat says he was never worried about his daughter’s wish to marry Hasan despite the bitter history between India and Pakistan.
“I lived my life on one of Rumi’s quotes that I read during my college days in Rohtak. ‘Apne dil ki suno, bheed ki nahi (listen to your heart, not to the crowd)’. My daughter was working as a flight engineer with Emirates airline and met Hasan in Dubai through a mutual friend. She told me about him and I never doubted her decision,” he said.
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“What is the point of education if I force my decisions on her? She is educated, independent. Who cares what a few people say behind our backs? I told her it doesn’t matter who she is getting married to as long as she is happy. We have our extended families in Pakistan, who went there during Partition. Hasan is kind with a beautiful heart,” he added.
A fan of Virat Kohli, Liyakat says he will request Hasan to arrange a meeting with Indian cricketers during the world cup match between India and Pakistan.
first published: October 03, 2023, 11:37 IST