Relief was felt all round after the surgery went off well. "We felt elated and paid obeisance to Allah after the doctors came out of the operation theatre to break the news that the surgery was successful," Nadeem and Tayyaba said.

Noor wears an oxygen mask after she was shifted from the operation theatre to the ICU where she stayed for two days. The adorable little girl became a symbol of newfound hope for peace and reconciliation in South Asia.

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images