Pakistan’s Qamar Mohsin Sheikh has been tying a rakhi on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wrist during every Raksha Bandhan since 1990 when he declared her his sister. Now a resident of Ahmedabad, Sheikh handcrafts a rakhi for Modi every year. She told India Today that she has prepared a rakhi with velvet, peals and metal embroidery for him this year.
“I make many rakhis with my own hands every year before Raksha Bandhan and in the end, I tie the Rakhi that I like the most on his wrist,” she told the publication. “I don’t buy rakhi from the market for my brother. I make several rakhis myself before Raksha Bandhan and I select the one I like the most to tie on his wrist,” she told news agency ANI last year.
Sheikh has been visiting the national capital to celebrate the ritual every year except during the pandemic when she sent the rakhi to PM Modi by post.
Who is Qamar Mohsin Sheikh?
Born in a Muslim family in Karachi, Sheikh married Mohsin Sheikh in 1981 and moved to Ahmedabad. She first met the PM when he was part of the RSS. “When I first met PM Modi, he was just a worker in the RSS,” Qamar has been quoted as saying by ANI.
According to India Today, Sheikh recalled meeting PM Modi at the airport for the first time in 1990 with Dr Swaroop Singh, who was the then Governor of Gujarat.
Singh had then told Modi that he considered Qamar Sheikh his daughter. Hearing this, the PM replied saying that Qamar Sheikh would be his sister.
"Since then, I have been tying Rakhi to him at the festival of Raksha Bandhan," said Sheikh.
Sheikh tied rakhi to the PM even during his tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister. ''I pray for him every day for his good health and long life. I believe that all my wishes will come true. Earlier when I prayed for him to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat and he became," she said.
According to NDTV, she always wanted him to become the Prime Minister. “His response was always affirmative, saying that all your wishes will be fulfilled by God. He is doing commendable work for the country," she said.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Sheikh had expressed her support for PM Modi. "There is no doubt he will be the Prime Minister again. He deserves this because he has those capabilities and I wish him to be PM of India every time,” she told the media.
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