Rishi Sunak, the unifier? British PM's origins maybe both Indian and Pakistani

Arch rivals India and Pakistan are on the cusp of history to share the pride of the British Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak becoming the first non-White Prime Minister of Britain as his grandparents originated from British India.

Currently, Sunak’s grandparents birthplace, Gujranwala, lies in modern-day Pakistan’s Punjab province, therefore, Sunak's origin may lie both in India and Pakistan. Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in England’s Southampton, and is a conservative party leader and has been active in politics since 2010.

The 42-year-old former chancellor was elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing party on Diwali as Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race. The Conservative Party leader became Britain's third prime minister after the humiliated Liz Truss left office within 49 days.

However, the details about Sunak’s ancestry are available only on social media. That is where both Indians and Pakistanis are expressing their views.

Gujranwala is known for its good food and wrestling culture and is around 95 kilometres from Punjab province’s provincial capital Lahore. As per media reports, before the Partition, Gujranwala was a locality surrounded by at least seven gates that served as entry and exit points. It is now known as Gujranwala’s downtown.

In terms of geographic details, Gujranwala is a congested and densely populated area with narrow streets lined with clothing, jewellery, electronics, and other stores. The area also has several Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and abandoned houses over 100 years old.

Moreover, during the communal riots of the 1930s, bloodshed and insecurity forced many Hindu and Sikh families to flee from the area to protect themselves and their families. During the riots, Rishi’s paternal grandfather Ramdas Sunak left the city in 1935 to work as a clerk in Nairobi.

Suhag Rani Sunak, his wife, moved to Delhi from Gujranwala with her mother-in-law before travelling to Kenya in 1937. Suhag Rani and Ramdas had six children, three sons and three daughters.

Rishi’s father Yashveer Sunak, who was born in Nairobi in 1949, moved to Liverpool in 1966 and studied medicine at the University of Liverpool. In 1977, Yashveer married Usha in Leicester. Rishi was born in Southampton three years later, in 1980.

Despite that nothing has been officially said in Pakistan about Sunak, some on social media have suggested the government lay its claim on the future Prime Minister.

Shafat Shah in a tweet said, “I think Pakistan should also lay claim on Rishi Sunak because his paternal grandparents were from Gujranwala who from there migrated to Kenya and then to Britain.”

Another Twitter user with the handle Grand Finale wrote, “Wow! What a tremendous achievement. A Pakistani has now ascended to the highest office in England. Anything is possible if you believe.”

“Going to bed in the US with hopes that a #Punjabi from #Gujranwala will be the #PrimeMinister of the #UK in the morning! Both #Pakistan and #India should be jointly proud of this moment!” tweeted Yaqoob Bangash.

Few others on the microblogging site suggested that both Pakistan and India should be proud of the new British leader. In addition to this, there are also fears that both India and Pakistan may try to cross lines while laying claim that Sunak is the son of their respective lands, said 35-year-old Zulfiqar Jatt.

“Since Gujranwala is in Pakistan, anyone who belonged to this city even 100 years ago is a Pakistani today,” Jatt told.

(With inputs from agencies)