Quite literally! Shatrughan Sinha returns from Pakistan a lighter traveller

Shatrughan Sinha has returned to India a lighter man. The actor-politician, who went on a goodwill mission to Pakistan with fellow-parliamentarians Yashwant Sinha and and Mani Shankar Aiyer last week, lost his entire baggage on his flight from Lahore to Delhi.

Speaking about the loss, Shatru said, "All my winter suits were in the baggage. I am sitting here in Delhi wrapped in a blanket waiting for substitute clothes.

But that's a replaceable loss. What I lost was far more valuable. All the gifts given to me by friends and well-wishers across the border are lost. I really regret that. I'm hoping my baggage would be retrieved."

Listen to us!

Yashwant Sinha too lost his baggage in transit while travelling within Pakistan. "But his baggage was found, " informs Sinha. "Look at the poetic justice. My baggage is lost." The actor-turned-politician who has visited Pakistan several times over the years is very happy with his latest goodwill mission.

"The politicians in Pakistan listened to us when we spoke. That felt good. I told them that they need to stop spending so much money on bullets. Only then would the price of daal and onions go down on both sides of the border. I told them they need to address the issue of cross-border terrorism immediately and urgently."

Party on, Shatru!

In Karachi, Shotgun's old friend Zaheer Abbas threw a lavish banquet for the Indian delegation and in Islamabad Nawaz Sharif played host to one of the best parties he has ever attended. But the naughtiest party was thrown by Pakistani star Hasan Sumro.

Sinha adds, "I told my colleagues from the Indian parliament to make do without me and I slipped away to Sumro's party. There I saw some of the loveliest women I've ever seen."

Says Sinha optimistically, "I've always returned from Pakistan filled with great hope for friendship between the two countries. This time was no exception."

We're going, too

Shatru's old friend Pahlaj Nihalani was also part of the Indian delegation to Pakistan. Coming soon is a proposal to take Bollywood's oldest veteran actors Dev Anand, Pran and Dilip Kumar who share old ties with Pakistan to the country for a visit.