Located near the mighty River Beas, Jatti Umra, Pakistan's incoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's native village and its 1500-strong population, is praying that he makes a visit to India and the village soon, so that at least something is done to provide them with basic amenities, which they don't have.
Happy over the fact that a "son of their soil" is becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a third time, the villagers feel that a visit to his ancestral village in India would strengthen peace between the two countries, and bring prosperity to them.
Devoid of basic amenities, this dusty village where Sharif's forefathers once lived, has not been as lucky as Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh's native village of Gah in Pakistan, which has been declared a 'model village' by Pakistan.
The village has a 60 per cent Jat population, while the rest 40 per cent belongg to other communities, and all of them rejoice in their proximity to the Pakistan Prime Minister and his family members.
"Our son is the Prime Minister of a neighboring country. Our village is bound to get development, " says an aged Massa Singh, a family friend of Nawa Sharif's father Mian Mohammad Sharif, who left for Pakistan before the partition of the Indian subcontinent.
Massa Singh remembers the days when he and Mohammad Sharif used to climb trees as a form of sport in their childhood.
He recalls that when Shahbaz Sharief, the then Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab Province, and Nawaz Sharif's younger brother, was expected to pay a visit to East Punjab for Kabaddi matches, the village of Jatti Umra attracted huge attention.
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"As soon as news arrived that Shahbaz was arriving to watch the World Kabaddi match between India and Pakistan, there was a huge activity. Shahbaz had wished to pay a visit to his native village. We saw grants being issued by the Punjab Government for laying the roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage and for a new hospital. We were happy, as 'our son' was coming. There were even temporary helipads set up, but then, the program changed," said Balwinder Singh, a resident of the village, adding that proposed development works were also cancelled.
He said there was a proposal made for Rs.4.50 crores and an outer road was laid around the village, but the other pending works were kept in abeyance after funds were diverted to the public works department (PWD).
During Shahbaz Sharif's proposed visit, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was to accompany him to lay foundation stones for projects such as metalled roads, a community hall, water supply systems, the renovation of a school and concrete flooring of streets etc.
Today, all of these projects are still to get off the ground, as the visit of Shahbaz Sharif was cancelled.
Members of Nawaz Sharif's family visited Jatti Umra in 1982. Residents of the village have also visited Pakistan on the invitation of Sharif's family.
The Sharif family has also employed about 50 youths from the village in various companies owned by Sharif in Dubai and Qatar.
"I spent more than 20 years working in Sharif's factory in Dubai. They are concerned about their village and provide employment to people who approach them from this village," said Lakha Singh, who went to Dubai in 1977.
Villagers still recall the visit of Mian Mohammad Bashir, an uncle of Nawaz Sharif, in 1977, and took some youngsters to Jalandhar to make their passports to facilitate their visit to Dubai and also ensured work visas for them to get employment.
"How can we forget the Sharif family. They have always been helping us in one way or the other," said Lakha Singh, adding that all those who got employment in Dubai have settled down well with their families in the village.
The house belonging to the Sharif family was kept intact till 1962, when Sharif brothers visited the village and donated the land for development of the village and handed over their ancestral house for conversion into a Gurdwara.
Mohinder Kaur, an elderly lady, says that today prayers and blessings are offered at the same gurdwara for Sharif and his family, in good and bad times.
She is proud to show a photograph of herself with Nawaz Sharif during a visit to Pakistan when he was the Prime Minister.
Her son, Hardip, was given a job, and she also recalled her ties with the Sharif family during her own marriage.
She said the Sharif family took an active part in making arrangements for the wedding, and are in contact with them even today.
The villagers have asked for a hospital, a veterinary clinic, a community hall and other facilities.