As the Delhi-Lahore bus carrying Baby Noor, her mother Tayyeba, father Nadeem Sajjad and other passengers rolled out of the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar bus terminus at the Delhi Gate, the little girl wearing a big bamboo cap waved a tiny hand to say her goodbyes to the people gathered to see her off.
The cameramen jostled with each other to capture the moment for their newspapers and television networks -- it was a moment, many believe, that could bring India and Pakistan closer.
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"I would be happy if Noor becomes a symbol of friendship between India and Pakistan," Nadeem Sajjad told rediff.com before boarding the bus for his return journey home.
Nadeem and Tayyeba patiently posed before flashing cameras and answered questions from reporters as other passengers looked admiringly at Noor, snug in her mother's lap.
"We had come to India with hope and we are now returning to our land with a healthy child. The love and affection that the people of India, the media in particular, has showered on us has been simply superb. There are no words to express our gratitude. We have got a 40 kg packet full of greeting cards...and email messages that we got during our stay in Bangalore while our darling went through the surgery and spent more then ten days in post-operative care unit.
Dr Rajesh [Sharma, who operated upon Noor] had been simply fabulous. We are indebted to the hospital authorities and the staff who took care of our daughter. We wish other children from Pakistan, who suffer from similar diseases of heart, can come and get operated upon in India," said Nadeem.
Residents of Lahore, the couple is now looking forward to meeting their other two children Teheen Nadeem (6) and Mahrukh Nadeem (4).
"I have been missing my other two children and my family. I will wait till the evening to be with them," Tayyeba said shifting Noor from one arm to the other.
She thanked B D Jagdish, a well known painter from Bangalore, who did a special painting for her daughter.
"We are grateful to him for giving Noor a wonderful gift which depicts parents with a child, a heart and the flags of India and Pakistan. It was a touching moment for us," she recalled.
Baby Noor was born on December 5, 2000.
"Doctors told us that she had two holes in her heart. She was on medicines from day one but we had to wait till she grew up a little as surgery at that stage could have been dangerous. We spent a sleepless night the day before she was to be operated upon. She was crying for food in the middle of the night. But the doctors had told us that nothing was to be given to her.
It was tough on me but I had to do it. She knew nothing about the operation. But she withstood the operation very well. Allah ka shukar hai hamari bacchi theek ho gayee (Thank god, our daughter is fine now)," Tayyeba said.
Though the couple arrived with the child an hour before the scheduled departure of the bus, they did not have a moment to themselves. But then, Noor is a small celebrity now and the hopes of two countries ride on her tiny shoulders.
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