Karzai walks on the Mall with fond memories

Shimla, Nov 16 (UNI) Fond memories came flooding back as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai took a walk on the famous Mall in the capital hill resort today.

''It was a walk down memory lane, after a gap of 27 years'', Mr Karzai dressed in the traditional Afghani dress said while remembering his college days here.

A few of his old class mates who were with him in HP university joined him on the busy Mall. Although the Afghan President who is on a two day personal tour of Shimla avoided the media glare while walking on the Mall road, he enjoyed every moment of his walk.

According to one of his old friends Mr Khanna, ''Karzai is very emotional about Shimla and misses his student days spent here''.

Although his trip to Shimla was not a part of his diplomatic arrangements in India, Mr Karzai arrived here yesterday to visit the HP University where he had studied.

''Study well in the Himachal university if you want to become the President'', he had told students yesterday at the university campus.

Mr Karzai did his post-graduation in political science from the university.

Mr Karzai had initially planned to study in Delhi, where many of his Afghan friends were enrolled. But, for the man from the arid Pashtun mountains, a chance drizzle, just before he reached Shimla on a vacation with his cousin, changed his mind.

''As we got out of the train and started walking to the university, the rain had stopped and the water drops that had gathered on the tree tops fell on me delicately as we walked. Then and there, I decided not to go back to Delhi and decided to study here'', he said in his interaction with the students.

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