Pictures of US President Barack Obama's mother's stay in Pakistan

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

GUJRANWALA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his meeting with US President Barack Obama on Thursday will present commemorative photos of Obama's mother's stay in Pakistan during the 1980s.

Official sources said Barack Obama's mother worked for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) during the 1980s and came to Pakistan to work on a project – she stayed at a five-star hotel in Lahore and frequently travelled to Gujranwala.

She used to provide financial assistance and issue loans to the poor people residing in various areas of Gujranwala under the ADB's micro finance program.

During her time in Pakistan, Obama also visited his mother.

A government official said the interior ministry requested pictures from the relevant district administration, which got in touch with locals she was in contact with and the people she trained or worked with in the micro finance program.

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Pakistan

Info minister says Imran’s sons ‘welcome to visit Pakistan’ using Nicop following Jemima’s appeal to PM

CM Bugti says major attack prevented with arrest of ‘would-be’ female suicide bomber in Khuzdar

Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft till April 24

Adeel Saleem

Oct 22, 2015 05:24pm

who cares

Recommend 0

Rashid

Oct 22, 2015 05:24pm

I think it is a very god gesture, very well thought off.

Recommend 0

Kazim Reza

Oct 22, 2015 05:28pm

Amazing.

Recommend 0

Sacha Pakistani

Oct 22, 2015 05:34pm

OMG... Obama is in so much trouble when your opponents get this news as they already claim you to be a Muslim and an Arab!

Recommend 0

Shaam سے

Oct 22, 2015 05:36pm

Copying Indian soft diplomacy.

Recommend 0

ali

Oct 22, 2015 05:38pm

President Obama will love and appreciate these pictures, he has mentioned of fond memories of his short visit to Pakistan.

Recommend 0

Asif

Oct 22, 2015 05:39pm

Wow beautiful pictures and a nice gesture by the PM.

Recommend 0

Karachitee

Oct 22, 2015 05:39pm

Well...Mr. Obama is going to retire next year!

Recommend 0

Observer

Oct 22, 2015 05:42pm

She did a wonderful job of grooming his son into a very successful person!

Recommend 0

Naxalite

Oct 22, 2015 05:44pm

Foreign Office should take advantage of this.

Recommend 0

B.Ally

Oct 22, 2015 05:58pm

@Adeel Saleem There are plenty people who care for human values.

Recommend 0

B.Ally

Oct 22, 2015 06:00pm

This is very thoughtful of government of Pakistan. It's very caring and humane gesture.I am sure Obama shall greatly value and cherish this album .

Recommend 0

M Akram

Oct 22, 2015 06:06pm

A nice soft touch. So we do have people in the Government who capable of thinking.

Recommend 0

saqib

Oct 22, 2015 06:07pm

should have thought about this earlier, obama has a year remaining in office.

Recommend 0

Kazim Reza

Oct 22, 2015 06:10pm

Bravo!

Recommend 0

Fareed

Oct 22, 2015 06:22pm

@saqib Better late than never

Recommend 0

B.Ally

Oct 22, 2015 06:23pm

@Karachitee Let us learn to do few things in life without a motive. There is some thing called human values.

Recommend 0

Saira Durrani K, Austin,TX

Oct 22, 2015 06:36pm

Great article by I Mirza!

Recommend 0

MULLAH NASRUDIN OF DELHI

Oct 22, 2015 06:43pm

May she have trained well, His Son.

Recommend 0

Oct 22, 2015 06:45pm

Obama, himself an African-American, had a Caucasian mother. Interesting.

Recommend 0

lmk

Oct 22, 2015 06:47pm

What a great idea!!

Recommend 0

Iqbal Khan

Oct 22, 2015 07:05pm

@ Shaam سے Why you guys hate us so much ?

Recommend 0

Fasiha

Oct 22, 2015 07:10pm

@Shaam سے yes we are always copying you. You guys invented "soft diplomacy", no?

Recommend 0

moazzam khan

Oct 22, 2015 07:15pm

This is very nice and memorable pictures.We have never seen before in our media. Also we want to see Obama pictures too, he came in Pakistan and stayed few days?

Recommend 0

G. Din

Oct 22, 2015 07:27pm

@M "Obama, himself an African-American, had a Caucasian mother. Interesting. " More than that, his mother died early in his life and he was brought up by her parents, Caucasian, in Chicago. So, more than her mother, her grandparents (maternal) had a huge influence on his upbringing.

Recommend 0

cautious

Oct 22, 2015 07:36pm

Most Pakistanis don't know that Obama was the first US President who had Pakistani friends and spent time in Pakistan prior to becoming a politician. Likely the first President to hold a positive view of Pakistan when he entered office. Several books on the OBL raid clearly indicated that Obama's view towards Pakistan had declined - told the Generals that he was through negotiating with Zardari and wouldn't even take his phone calls. Lets hope Sharif can salvage that relationship.

Recommend 0

syed

Oct 22, 2015 07:37pm

@Adeel Saleem If you don't care, why you read the article and why took the pain of making comments on this forum. You are not so cool. In my opinion the pictures would be very precious for Obama, whether he is black or white, President or an office clerk.

Recommend 0

sheikhsul

Oct 22, 2015 08:00pm

Nice to know this and appreciate the effort to bring this to news. Does not make much of a difference in terms of foreign affairs and politics surrounding government to government relations. This is more of a personal family affair of goodwill rather than state politics. State relations are defined by state interests that are defined behind the scene by many other players. In US by the lobbies (primarily Israeli) controlling the politicians and in Pakistan(or India) by the military complex and their favored politicians and in some cases extremist groups.

Recommend 0

M Jamal

Oct 22, 2015 08:01pm

A very appreciable and touchy approach.Mr President can have fond memory of his mother and our best wishes from Pakistan.

Recommend 0

sja

Oct 22, 2015 08:10pm

@Sacha Pakistani : no matter how you state, but Obama has HUSSAIN still as his middle name unabridged.

Recommend 0

sja

Oct 22, 2015 08:12pm

@Karachitee : as a result of this story he may come and visit Gujranwalla who knows after his retirement for couple of days during his worldwide tours that will start after he leaves office may be he adds this in his memoirs and that becomes best seller in Pakistan

Recommend 0

sja

Oct 22, 2015 08:18pm

@syed " some people do not see the difference -- he won two terms on the word CHANGE--- he did win, but then he got the CHALLENGE of his life. see what is the difference between change and challenge on two . Imran Khan wanted change but he got challenged too and he lost seven out of seven NA seats a record for a changer in Pakistan, I am just saying ?

Recommend 0

Vijay B.

Oct 22, 2015 08:34pm

I'd say that is a very sweet gesture by NS .

Recommend 0

Zia

Oct 22, 2015 08:37pm

Very nice gesture and must be a proud mother. Obama is man of conviction and speaks logic. He tried his best to fulfill what he promised during his campaign. Hard to imagine what he would have gone through growing up as black in a Racist society but ironically US might be the most tolerant country in the world for visible minority races. Even an Indian or Black can be a Governor and stand for President.

Recommend 0

Akhtar

Oct 22, 2015 08:40pm

A nice thought. This to the right person is a priceless gift.

Recommend 0

stranger

Oct 22, 2015 09:22pm

Good use of brain by someone. Thank you.

Recommend 0

stranger

Oct 22, 2015 09:25pm

@Fasiha They also invented democracy, medical science, IT, engineering, etc.

Recommend 0

A. Ali

Oct 22, 2015 09:30pm

is it for real or satire ?.

Recommend 0

Shahzaman

Oct 22, 2015 09:33pm

good gesture.

Recommend 0

lafanga

Oct 22, 2015 09:35pm

Don't support PMLN always but looks like they are learning. They were too crude to have thought of this few years back. This kind of a warm gesture breaks the ice for candid talks. Thumbs up.

Recommend 0

Anwar Sadiqque

Oct 22, 2015 09:37pm

What this shows is that Obama had an international upbringing and he is more understanding of other cultures. People who are liberal and international in their thinking tend to be more tolerant.

Recommend 0

A common pakistani

Oct 22, 2015 10:29pm

@Anwar Sadiqque but wars spread in many countries during his 2 tenures, anyway he is not to blame.

Recommend 0

A common pakistani

Oct 22, 2015 10:29pm

Nice gesture

Recommend 0

Zeeshan

Oct 22, 2015 10:32pm

A very thoughtful gesture! Thank You!

Recommend 0

Malik

Oct 22, 2015 10:37pm

She died of terminal illness and when recuperating in Hawaii, Obama seldom used to visit her.

Recommend 0

anony

Oct 22, 2015 10:52pm

A good gesture.

Recommend 0

M.Saeed

Oct 22, 2015 10:54pm

There are several other pictures of Obama himself visiting Pakistan with his college friend, Hassan Chandio. In early 80's, Obama had also stayed as guest of Muhammad Mian Soomro,( later,the former Chairman of Senate), at his residence in Jacobabad. He stayed for 3 days when he was on visit to Pakistan as a student. He was taken for a partridge hunting also.

Recommend 0

Waqas

Oct 22, 2015 11:59pm

@Adeel Saleem Obama does

Recommend 0

M.Saeed

Oct 23, 2015 12:10am

@sja : He spells his middle name as Hussein which is same as spelled in Saddam Hussein.

Recommend 0

Anwar Sadiqque

Oct 23, 2015 02:14am

@Zia : In the US children are taught at a young age about tolerance and are very aware of respecting other religions and races. The average American bigot know they are bigoted. I have run into Europeans,Chinese, South Asians who are bigoted and don't even realize it.

Recommend 0

faridullah

Oct 23, 2015 03:46am

Obama will love it. Mother is the sweetest thing in the whole universe.

Recommend 0

Changez_Khan

Oct 23, 2015 03:55am

Very respectable lady.

Recommend 0

Khan

Oct 23, 2015 04:43am

This is a very touching gesture, and in the game of diplomacy, this sort of gesture matters. Plus its also just a sweet thing to do for the President.

Recommend 0

KRush

Oct 23, 2015 05:44am

Ha, ha, ha - That's not Obama's mother. That's some white woman!!! Nice try!

Recommend 0

M. Saeed Awan

Oct 23, 2015 07:04am

I'm from Gujranwala and she visited several times near to my neighbours. She was humble, polite and committed to work, they narrate.

Recommend 0

Irfan

Oct 23, 2015 07:56am

@Naxalite U mean like asking Americans to ship military weapons in exchange for the photos?LOL

Recommend 0

Khwarezmi

Oct 23, 2015 09:40am

@Adeel Saleem People care. Barack Hussain Obama is the single most powerful person on the planet right now.

Recommend 0

Mohamad USA

Oct 23, 2015 11:01am

@Adeel Saleem ...... Remember that Pakistan runs on 3 As, one is America.

Recommend 0

Burjor Rustomji.

Oct 23, 2015 12:01pm

She gave her son, the most important gift, love, affection, and a good education, she has set a good example for all mothers.

Recommend 0

sja

Oct 23, 2015 05:23pm

@MULLAH NASRUDIN OF DELHI : the best part for her was that she bore Obama. She knew she was white, and Obama's father was non white or black. She knew it would be arduous for her son to face the racism or scars of what actually happens in real life in USA. I learned of a person whose father was German but his mother was American Red Indian, boy did he face racism even though a pure white in the south of USA. The point is when it comes to make terms with your own life, color bars none, Obama used to walk when he did community work but it was his determination to prove himself above all and be the first Black President of the USA in its 233 years. Obama has made a wonderful my success story. So others follow and strive to make good of whatever one has.

Recommend 0

Qamer

Oct 24, 2015 03:57am

I am surprised, never heard this before.

Recommend 0

Sonny Afridi

Oct 24, 2015 05:19am

So, what?

Recommend 0

Sonny Afridi

Oct 24, 2015 05:20am

@ali everyone knows the democrats are pro indian, like Obama.

Recommend 0

JUST-WONDERING

Oct 24, 2015 05:46am

This soft diplomacy did not bring couple of billion US dollars nor any meaningful US response for Kashmir. Looks like now it is time to be tough with USA.

Recommend 0

Oct 24, 2015 12:11pm

Obama says thanks Pakistan for showing me my mother that I don't recognize..

Recommend 0

M Saleem Chaudhry

Oct 24, 2015 03:44pm

These photographs are reflective of the vagaries of life. An American woman who gave birth to current American president Obama,s/o a Nigerian Muslim Barrack Hussain, travelled to Pakistan with her daughter from an Indonesian Muslim , her second husband for her job assignment with ADB and study for master in anthropology. Neither she would had imagined nor her son Obama that one he will be American president.

Recommend 0

Muhammad Ismail

Oct 24, 2015 03:53pm

nice work done by the govt.

Recommend 0

Noor dean

Oct 24, 2015 09:12pm

Obama is east Africa can from Somalia Kenya border.that's where his family still lives. His mother RIP was kind lady she helped many people.

Recommend 0

SAM

Oct 24, 2015 09:33pm

Thats the final attempt to get some attention from Obama.

Recommend 0

SAM

Oct 24, 2015 09:34pm

@ali If liked his stay in Pakistan then why is he not visiting you guys again??

Recommend 0

rifat

Oct 24, 2015 09:55pm

That's great

Recommend 0

Branded Content

FaisalTown Group and Alfalah Investments forge strategic partnership for REIT-based villa development at Faisal Hills

The collaboration will advance healthcare, infrastructure advisory, and the development of 100 premium villas through an innovative REIT investment structure.