Over 80 diplomats attend Pakistan Day event in London

 

LONDON: More than 80 diplomats from different countries attended the Pakistan Day reception organised by Pakistan High Commission London to celebrate 78th Pakistan Day.

It's for the first time that diplomats from so many countries attended the Pakistan Day event at this level. The attendees included either ambassadors or deputy ambassadors, representing major countries of the world.

A diplomat in London commented that attendance of more than 80 diplomats at the London event was a great success and showed that Pakistan was engaged with rest of the world.

Mark Field, FCO Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, Lord Tariq Ahmed, FCO Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan were the chief guests at the occasion. Dozens of Lords, MPs, MEPs, Mayors, Councillors, members of the British society and Pakistani diaspora were among the attendees.

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In his speech, Minister Mark Field said March 23 is the perfect moment to remember the founding ideals of Pakistan set out by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal -- their shared vision for Pakistan of an independent democratic state. That vision is one that rightly continues to inspire millions of Pakistanis to this day. Today, is also a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary and evolving ties between our two countries. Ties that I think are stronger today than they have ever been before, he said. 

“A record 12 members of Parliament of Pakistani origin took our best seats last June. It’s a record I know will surely be surpassed once more at the next general election. Now as Pakistan holds its own general elections this year I believe this is an opportunity to cement its democracy as one of the fundamental building blocks of modern and prosperous society.”

Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, said that Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of a democratic and pluralistic State remains the guiding principle of today’s Pakistan.

He said: “Strong Pakistan-UK relations are the manifestation of our foreign policy objectives. Post-Brexit, we look forward to translating the strong political goodwill into economic relations. I invite British businesses to take advantage of enormous economic opportunities offered by Pakistan’s emerging economy.”

The High Commissioner also acknowledged the valuable contributions made by over 1.2 million strong British Pakistani diasporas in strengthening Pakistan-UK relations.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said Pakistan is trying to strengthen the institution of parliament. “During the past five years, the parliament has taken crucial steps and enacted 131 bills, which is the highest number since 1985. We are the first parliament in the world that has gone green. I am thankful for the help of the British parliament due to which parliamentary courses have been introduced in about 27 universities of Pakistan.”