Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Rodolfo Martin Saravia welcomed a number of guests to celebrate, amongst other things, his 69th birthday and his 11th year as ambassador to Pakistan (making him the longest-serving Argentine ambassador to Pakistan) on Saturday. He also said that the longest-serving envoy to Argentina was a Pakistani ambassador, but didn’t reveal the name.

Another reason for the celebration was that his wife, Susana Saravia, had recently arrived. “She is so busy at home so I wasn’t sure that she would come to see me,” he said.

In response someone whispered, “But you just went home for the summer holidays yourself.”

And finally, the party celebrated the birthday of Susana and Rodolfo’s daughter Luz, who had brought her fiancé to Pakistan for the first time. Ambassador Saravia received the Hilal-e-Pakistan for his distinguished work.

“He is the best you can find of diplomats,” one foreign ambassador said.

“He is building bridges not only between his country and Pakistan, but also between the more than 70 foreign missions in Islamabad.”

“Next year, when I turn 70, it is all over for me, and I will go into retirement,” Saravia said.

“Maybe he will join hands with a travel agency and bring tourists our way, and [take] Pakistanis across the seas to South America,” a guest said.

The party carried on late into the night on the terrace of the ambassador’s residence and in an elegantly decorated and lit-up garden.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2015

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