NEW DELHI, April 2: Four-year-old Parvez Iqbal, another beneficiary of the thaw in Pakistan-India relations, became the first Pakistani child to be treated here for cardiac complications.

Parvez, who belongs to a family from Rajanpur in Punjab, was operated upon at the Escorts Heart Institute to plug a hole between the lower chambers of his heart.

The operation was complicated as the boy was well past the ideal age of six months for carrying out such an operation.

The boy arrived here along with his parents and was operated upon successfully on March 22 by a team of paediatric specialists.

"There was a big hole in his heart, which ought to have been corrected (long ago). The longer the wait, the more traumatic the surgery becomes, as blood is pumped to the heart with an above normal pressure," Dr Iyer told journalists here on Friday, adding: "We were able to carry out a quick and successful surgery".

Amir Baksh, boy's father, said: "I had lost all hope for my son. But the improvement in relations between the two countries has saved my child's life".

The treatment was sponsored by the Indian government under its free healthcare scheme for Pakistani children, he added.-APP