Islamabad: The Pakistan government on Thursday offered to send Rooh Afza, the staple Iftar drink, to India, following reports of short supply of the popular rose-flavoured beverage in the Indian market.
"If the supply of Rooh-Afza from Pakistan quenches their (Indians) thirst, then we will certainly want to do so," Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal told reporters during his weekly media briefing here.
On Tuesday, Hamdard Laboratories Pakistan also offered to supply Rooh Afza to India via Wagah border in Amritsar in view of its shortage for the ongoing Ramzan period.
"We can supply RoohAfza and RoohAfzaGO to India during this Ramdan. We can easily send trucks through Wahga border if permitted by Indian Government," Usama Qureshi, MD and CEO of Pakistani Hamdard, tweeted.
Meanwhile, Hamdard Laboratories India in a statement said, "RoohAfza is now available in the market and can be bought from major retail stores and grocery outlets across the country."
"The organisation urges discerning consumers and the trade not to be misled by incorrect information being circulated online and in print about non-availability of RoohAfza," it added.
The Hamdards in India and Pakistan have a common ancestry. In 1906, Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed had laid the foundation of Hamdard Dawakhana in one of the bylanes of Old Delhi and in 1907 launched RoohAfza. Following the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, his elder son stayed in India, while the younger one migrated to Pakistan and started Hamdard in Karachi and launched RoohAfza there.
Also read: Poachers turn wildlife saviours in Manas National Park
