‘This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens’

LONDON: “This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens,” said President Asif Ali Zardari outside the prime minister’s weekend retreat of Chequers, northwest of London.

The leaders of Britain and Pakistan moved Friday to shelve a row over a British attack on Islamabad’s security record, pledging to step up their cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

President Asif Ali Zardari had vowed to confront British Prime Minister David Cameron over recent claims suggesting that elements in Pakistan back the “export of terror,” which triggered the diplomatic spat.

But both leaders put on a show of unity after their talks near London, saying the bond between Pakistan and Britain was unbreakable, while Cameron accepted an invitation to visit Islamabad soon.

“This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens,” Zardari said outside the prime minister’s weekend retreat of Chequers, northwest of London.

Going, going, gone!

It’s been reported that the UN Consulate in Lahore had expressed an interest in purchasing the provincial Governor House. This news follows the decision of the Government of Punjab to “rationalise” some of its landholdings by “privatising” them; which is a fancy way of telling people you’re going to auction something that actually belongs to the public.

The Governor’s House in Lahore is built around the tomb of one of the cousin’s of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It’s said that the cousin was a great patron of sports, and near his grave is a kushtee gumbaz dedicated to wrestlers and kabaddi-wallahs. The land around the tomb and kushtee gumbaz was taken over by the British when they bought the Punjab. In fact, the governor’s mansion is built on and around the tomb. It’s said you can see the sarcophagus in a chamber under the dining room.

The Governor’s House in Lahore is spread over 90 acres and has one of the largest residential gardens in this part of the world. Of course, since there’s a 20-foot wall surrounding the place, very few people have actually seen the inside of the place, despite the efforts of the present incumbent to open its doors to the awam.

Last year, when the Government of Punjab’s overdraft with the State Bank was fast approaching its limit, someone came up with the idea of selling some of the prime land that belonged to the government throughout the province. In Lahore, properties like the chief justice’s official residence and, of course, the Governor House, were said to be on the list.