``We are proud of the fact that Nawaz Sharif, son of our village, has been extending his hand to open a new chapter of friendship,'' said the resolution passed in the gurdwara which was once the ancestral residence of the Sharifs. The resolution said Vajpayee would be representing the sentiments of the village and the whole nation on his Pakistan visit on February 20. ``We extend our warm wishes to the Pakistani people on this historic moment and extend a hearty invitation to Nawaz Sharif to visit India,'' said the resolution.

Village sarpanch Zail Singh signed the letter which has been framed and is ready to be sent to Lahore throughVajpayee. Gurinderpal Singh Sahota, the sub divisional officer (civil) of Tarn Taran, came to the village this morning and informed them that Vajpayee will personally deliver their invitation to Sharif.

Arjan Singh, former sarpanch and a close friend of Mian Sharif Mohammed, father of Nawaz Sharif said: ``Sharif lives in our hearts and he commands respect from every person in the village.'' Sharif had stayed at his residence for a night in 1982 when he along with his six brothers had come to watch the Asian Games in Delhi, he recalled.

Arjan Singh and son Gurcharan Singh visited Pakistan last year and they were personal guests of Nawaz Sharif for 10 days. ``He introduced me to all his family members,'' he said. Arjan Singh said Sharif was very keen to visit India and his native village. ``We are eagerly waiting for him.''

Buhar Singh, now in his late eighties, remembered the days spent with Sharif's father. ``We studied together till the fourth standard in the primary school of neighbouring Sarlu Khurdvillage,'' he said. Sharif's grandfather Ramzan was a landless farmer who cultivated land on contract for decades, Buhar Singh said.

Mohan Singh, another village elder, said Sharif's family had migrated to Pakistan about six years before Partition but they kept their roots alive in the village. ``When Sharif came last in 1982, he went to each house and presented fruits and sweets which he had brought from Pakistan,'' he said.

About eight youths of this village had been till recently working in a steel mill in Dubai which is owned by the Sharif family. ``Sharif had given them jobs,'' said Darbara Singh, a former panchayat member whose son was among them.

More than anyone else, the residents of this village want India and Pakistan to be good neighbours. With good reason. Said the village sarpanch: ``We are affectionately attached to Sharif's family. The whole village had offered thanksgiving in the gurdwara when he became Prime Minister of Pakistan.''

Added Channan Singh, a friend of the Pakistan PrimeMinister's father: ``We are brothers and physical boundaries can't hinder our love.''