Turkish Victory Day marked

Turkish Ambassador Sadik Babur Girgin and his Defence Attache Group Captain Murat Ikiz hosted a large reception in Islamabad recently to mark his country’s 95th Victory Day, or ‘Zafer Bayrami’, as it is called in Turkish.

The chief guest on the event was Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, along with senior civilian and military government officials. A number of civil society representatives were present as well as diplomats from other countries.

In their speeches, the host and chief guest underlined the cordial relations between Pakistan and Turkey. Ambassador Girgin read out a statement from President Erdogan of Turkey, which stressed that Turkey had sacrificed for its independence in 1919, and also later, in order to protect its citizens and contribute to global security.

“Without doubt, our biggest source of strength in the difficult periods is the unity and solidarity of our nation,” he was reported as saying.Two films were screened at the event, and then, there was ample to for conversation and a pleasant dinner session.

“I attend many receptions every year, and I enjoy all of them”, said a senior Pakistani guest. “But there is always something special about receptions marking defence issues. I am a civilian but I admire the sacrifice and efforts of the military”, he said.

Azeri embassy distributes Eid gifts

The Embassy of Azerbaijan held a special event at the National Institute of Special Education (NISE) to distribute Eid gifts among disabled children on behalf of Mehriban Aliyev, the first lady of Azerbaijan and president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The ceremony began with the national anthem which was accompanied by young children performing the anthem in sign language for the hearing impaired. Nasreen Aghai narrated the entire ceremony in sign language. Hafiz Muhammad Taimur, a student of the Institute for Visually Handicapped Children, recited verses from the Quran and was followed by Hira Kainat, a student from Al-Makhdoom Institute for the Visually Handicapped, who recited a naat. Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister for Capital Administration & Development Division, and Ambassador of Azerbaijan Ali Alizada, presented gifts to the delighted children.

Mr Alizada said that the Eid gifts and a qurbani ceremony has been taking place annually on Eidul Azha as part of the activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Pakistan which routinely gives donations to organizations in Pakistan. He said the foundation has implemented healthcare and education initiatives, including vaccinations, donations to Sweet Homes and support to other orphanages in various districts of Pakistan, adding that Azerbaijan and Pakistan share common values and deep friendly relations. Dr. Chaudhry commended the charitable endeavours of the foundation and talked about the various efforts underway to upgrade the institutions.

CEOs, diplomats meet at dinner event

CEO Club and Islamabad Serena Hotel hosted large dinner to launch a book titled “100 Performing CEOs and Companies of Pakistan”. In addition to about 150 CEOs and senior staff members from the private sector, the event was attended by policy makers, politicians and media personnel along with about 50 ambassadors, deputies and other diplomats. The host for the event was M. Saleem Ahmad Ranjah, director Akhuwat.

The chief guest was the President of Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan. He underlined the importance of high performance and innovation in the private sector, supported by good government policies.

In his speech, head of the German Embassy’s economic section Martin Herzer emphasized on the importance of the joint business forum that his country and Pakistan has established, with a main office in Karachi.

“Without international cooperation in export and import, Pakistan cannot prosper”, said a CEO in an export-oriented company in Lahore. “We need to have much closer contact with foreign envoys, and they must also learn more about the specific sectors so that they can facilitate us”, he said.

“We don’t expect embassies and trade offices to do our work”, said a CEO from Faisalabad. “But we need their help. When foreign companies come to Pakistan, they have to do the work, but with help from Pakistani embassies abroad and officials at home as well as the foreign countries’ office in Pakistan. Pakistan is a big country and trade is more important than ever”, he said.

— Text and photos by Syeda Shehrbano Kazim, Atle Hetland & Shahbaz Chaudary

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2017