ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association (PFOWA) held its annual bazaar at the Foreign Office on Sunday.

It was attended by representatives of some 32 countries, including China, Japan, Holland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka.

Participants from different countries put on performances of their cultural dances and put up stalls to promote their heritage and culture. Guests at the event also got to see performances to Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto songs. Some 125 stalls by representatives of various countries were set up, some offering guests a taste of their national foods.

PFOWA Executive Committee member and Secretary Bazaar Iffat Tasawar told Dawn the PFOWA had been hosting the bazaar since the 1950s.

She said the bazaar used to be held at the Foreign Services Hostel till the early 2000s, when the venue was changed for security reasons. It was then held at the Convention Centre and at private hotels for some years.

Ms Tasawar added: “This is the first time the bazaar is being held at the Foreign Office because the security situation has improved and we wanted to tell the international community that peace has returned to the federal capital.”

Some 12 stalls were set up by the PFOWA, selling memorabilia sent in by employees in Pakistani embassies worldwide.

Talking about these stalls Ms Tasawar said: “This is old practice and proceeds from sales go towards education expenses for children of lower income employees working in the Foreign Office.”

The general secretary PFOWA, Farah Moin, told Dawn the association also awards scholarships to students.

“We work towards the welfare of the society and give donations to many organisations including the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute. The association also offers financial support to widows of Foreign Office employees.”

Mohammad Amir Sohail, a guest at the event, said it was his first time at the bazaar and that he was impressed to see such an elaborate event for showcasing and promoting cultural diversity.

He said that of all the performances, he liked the Malaysian dance best. “Through an impressive dance performance, the Malaysians showed us how their soldiers are received when they come back from a war they have won. It was mesmerising. This was a one of a kind experience where I got to see so many different cultures in one place.”

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2015