Indian or Pakistani: What is the actual origin of Rishi Sunak’s family?

India and Pakistan are on the cusp of history to share the pride that Rishi Sunak has become Britain's first non-white prime minister. Rishi Sunak overtook Penny Mordaunt on Monday to become the UK's first Asian prime minister.

His political rise and ascendancy have become the talk of the town. Although Sunak was born to Hindu-Punjabi parents in Southampton, his grandparents hailed from a place called Gujranwala, now in Pakistan.

Gujranwala, known for its good food and wrestling culture, is located an hour and a half from the provincial capital of Punjab province, Lahore.

Before Partition, when Rishi's grandparents lived in Gujranwala, the city used to be a locality, which was surrounded by at least seven gates, which were the entry and exit points. It is now known as the center of Gujranwala.

Rishi was born in 1980 in Southampton. Although nothing has been officially said about Sunak (42) in Pakistan, some people on social media have suggested the government reclaim him.

Only on social media, where both Indians and Pakistanis express their views on his rise to power amid heated political disputes in the UK, are scant details about his ancestry available.

 “Going to bed in the US with hopes that a #Punjabi from #Gujranwala will be the #PrimeMinister of the #UK in the morning! Both #Pakistan and #India should be jointly proud of this moment!” tweeted Yaqoob Bangash.

Where is Rishi Sunak from?

Rishi is originally from Southampton, but now has a portfolio of impressive homes, including his grand home in Kensington.

During family breaks, Rishi and his family are believed to retire to his stately home in North Yorkshire. They also own a property in Santa Monica, California, and a flat in central London.

Rishi's paternal grandfather, Ramdas Sunak, left Gujranwala to work as a clerk in Nairobi in 1935. His wife, Suhag Rani Sunak, moved to Delhi first from Gujranwala, along with her mother-in-law, before traveling to Kenya in 1937.

Sunak is a graduate of the University of Oxford and Stanford. He is married to the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, Akshata Murty. The couple who married in 2009 have two daughters, Anoushka and Krishna.

Also Read

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• Indian Origin Rishi Sunak will be the new PM of Britain?
• Is Rishi Sunak Planning to cut funding for public services and workers’s wages?
• What is controversy of Akshata Murty, wife of British FM Rishi Sunak?

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