At the Narayana Hrudayala in Bangalore, cardiac surgeon Dr Rajesh Sharma undertook the delicate task of operating on Noor. "I have complete faith in the capabilities of the doctors here," Nadeem said just before the operation.

Narayana Hrudayalaya is used to getting patients from Pakistan. The trend began when Dr Sharma shifted to Bangalore from Delhi two years ago. Before he moved, he had operated on about 50 Pakistani children at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

Word about his expertise had spread and people in Pakistan were not daunted by his shift down south. Dr Sharma mostly communicates with his Pakistani patients by e-mail. After he decides when he can operate on them, they begin applying for Indian visas.

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images