The umbilical cord between Lahore and Amritsar was shattered after 1965 Indo-Pak war, after which both countries restricted cross-border movement. Since then, the soul of the two cities has changed drastically, says Amir Mateen in the second of his four-part series that gives a Pakistani perspective on India's politics, society and economy.

Don't miss Part I of the series!

L ahore and Amritsar have a strange umbilical relationship; a common history binds them together in more ways than one.



The biggest influence on Lahore's contemporary culture and cuisine are the Kashmiris who migrated from Amritsar in 1947.

A quintessential Lahori, goes the joke, loves food more than his wife and pronounces the city as Lhorh. In nine cases out of 10, Amritsari Kashmiris will meet this criterion.

Muslim migrants from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ambala, Patiala and the rest of Indian Punjab have generally done well -- at least in Lahore. They took over most of the property and businesses left by the much wealthier Hindus and Sikhs, who comprised roughly 50 per cent of Lahore's population at Partition.

But this was nothing compared to the rise of the Amritsari Kashmiris who happened to be just 30 miles away, and hence better placed because of their stronger family, cultural and business relations in Lahore.

They virtually run the city now.

Actually, their political influence goes much beyond Punjab -- the biggest example being former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's family.

The Ittefaq Brothers, as they were called then, moved from Amritsar's suburbs of Jati Umra to Lahore a little before Partition.

They have now created a seven-star replica of their humble abode in Lahore's suburbs.

The Sharif brothers, as they are called now, have encouraged pockets of Amritsari Kashmiri power in every major city of central Punjab.