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 in Islamabad.
Earlier in the day, Rooh Afza-maker Hamdard Laboratories India said in New Delhi that its popular drink is now available in the market after a temporary shortage due to short supply of certain herbal ingredients.
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 Rooh Afza 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.
The Hamdards in India and Pakistan have common ancestry. In 1906, Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed had laid the foundation of Hamdard Dawakhana in one of the by lanes of Old Delhi and in 1907 launched Rooh Afza.
Following 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.
Meanwhile, Hamdard Laboratories India in a statement said, "Rooh Afza 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 Rooh Afza," it added.
Rooh Afza, a popular beverage in Pakistan as well as India, has been reportedly in short supply in the Indian market. According to reports published in Indian publication, The Print, the staple Iftar drink Rooh Afza is not available for purchase in India for over four months now. And this has prompted the beverage producer in Pakistan to offer help.
