“Part of a diplomat’s life is always having to say goodbye,” said Rodolfo Martin Saravia, Argentine Ambassador and dean of the diplomatic corps.

He was speaking at the farewell lunch he hosted for the European Union (EU) Ambassador, Swedish Lars-Gunner Wigemark and Ambassador Ro Kyong Chol of the Democratic Republic of Korea. The lunch was attended by most members of the diplomatic community in Islamabad.

Ambassador Chol served in Pakistan for three years.

Ambassador Wigemark had been serving as the EU envoy in Pakistan for the last four years. He will now be moving to Bosnia and Herzegovina where he will be the EU’s special representative.

“Both my husband and I know Bosnia and Heregovina from before,” said Rebekah Wigemark, a naturalized Swede of American background.

In his speech, Wigemark said that he found Pakistan a very pleasant country to work in. “Pakistan is an important country for the EU,” he said.

Pakistan’s cooperation with the EU is mainly in the areas of trade, development and humanitarian aid.

The 2014-2020 aid to Pakistan is valued at Euro 650 million (over $700 million), which represents an increase of over 50 per cent from last year.

The EU is the largest trading zone for Pakistan, which also includes free trade agreements. The Pakistan-EU trade volume grows steadily year by year and stands at more than Euro 10 billion.

Finding paths to peace

Nooroz Ghani, centre, from Lyari receiving a youth award from Sherry Rehman and ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen. Ahmed Chinoy, chief Karachi Citizen Police Liaison Committee also present on the occasion.

“Dialogue is key to building and promoting peace,” said Danish Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen at the National Peace Summit in Islamabad. The Summit was organized by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) with support from the Danish government.

The event was attended by a large audience comprising academics, members of civil society and students.

“We must learn to listen and respect difference of opinion. No matter what we disagree on, let us agree to not use violence,” said Møller Sørensen.

Sherry Rehman, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, underscored the fact that any government’s foremost responsibility is to provide security to citizens. “Pakistani has become a polarized society where tolerance and respect for diversity must be developed,” she said.

Ahmed Chinoy from Citizen Police Liaison Committee in Karachi, Zaffarullah Khan from Centre for Civic Education in Islamabad, and other speakers drew attention to the importance of strengthening of local democracy in order to improve security.

“People’s participation is essential to development and security,” they said.

Nooroz Ghani from Lyari in Karachi and Farooq Afridi from Khyber Agency, received awards from SFCG for their efforts in promoting peace for local communities.

Arieb Azhar entertained the more than 150 participants with a musical interlude, he talked about his love for poetry and lessons of peace from Sufi and humanist traditions.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2015

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