Dunkin’ Donuts Pakistan extends olive branch to India; offers free meal and donut to Indians as ‘Goodwill Gesture’

Iqbal Latif, who owns 26 Dunkin Donuts outlets in Pakistan made the gesture of peace and communal harmony

Written by: Sakshita Khosla

Published: October 21, 2015, 9:27 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/dunkin-donuts-pakistan-extends-olive-branch-to-india-offers-indians-free-meal-and-a-donut-as-goodwill-gesture-648159/ Copy

October 21: We hear negative news stories about animosity between India and Pakistan and the growing tensions in the relations between the two countries. The resultant negative sentiments generated make sure that positive stories and gestures by the two communities often get drowned out in the of debates and arguments. A case in point is the news story about a Pakistani family who was stranded on a station in Mumbai, India, because none of the hotels in the city agreed to take them in. The media had raised a hue and cry about it and there had been considerable rage about the plight of the family. Also Read: Pakistani family forced to sleep on Mumbai streets

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, one small but heart felt gesture was being made to bridge the gap between the two nations and their people. One man, Iqbal Latif, moved by the plight of his countrymen in India, decided to respond to it- with a singular gesture of affection and friendship. Latif, who is the owner of 26 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises across Pakistan, decided to take it upon himself to smoothen some of the creases in the two countries relations by offering a free meal and donut to all Indian families. On October 17, Latif’s Dunkin’ Donuts outlets in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar had all applied the special offer for Indians, to “promote harmony, peace, understanding and love between two neighbours”.

All the outlets’ windows carried the peace message that read, “Peace Amity and Understanding. All Indian short term visitors with valid visit visa are allowed a free meal and a donut, as ‘Goodwill Gesture’ to promote harmony, peace, understanding and love between two neighbours. Ameen”. BuzzFeed report claims “according to a Twitter user, over 2,000 free meals have already been served to visiting Indians since the offer went up.”  “It’s not a big deal, but an effort to invoke the teachings of Gandhi Ji who preached love and co-existence all his life,” Latif reportedly told Dawn in an interview.