PAKISTAN’S embassy officials in Manila organized a special reception on March 23 to commemorate their country’s 78th National Day anniversary.
With celebrations ongoing for the entire year, the regular diplomatic reception of Pakistan Day was expanded into an ethnic food and film festival, where typical Pakistani cuisine stations were set up to introduce guests to authentic tastes of the South Asian nation, as well as the screening of short documentaries showing the tourist and economic potential of the country throughout the event.
Messages of the President and the Prime Minister on Pakistan Day 2018, as well as promotional materials on tourist destinations of the country were also distributed among the guests.
The dinner reception was attended by a large number of representatives of the Philippine government, members of the diplomatic corps, international and multinational organizations, as well as Pakistani community members based in Manila.
The playing of the national anthems of the Philippines and Pakistan formally opened the program. Dr. Aman Rashid, ambassador of Pakistan to the Philippines, delivered his speech and led the commemorative cutting of a cake.
In his speech, Rashid highlighted the background and importance of Pakistan Day, his country’s achievements, the long-standing friendly ties between Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as recent developments in bilateral relations between the two—notably President Duterte’s visit of the Pakistani naval ship in December 2017.
He said next year would be a remarkable milestone in Pakistan-Philippines ties that would serve witness to the 70th anniversary of relations between the two countries.
The ambassador shared with the audience that to strengthen the existing linkages between the two countries further, he is currently working toward the “twinning” of Makati City or Manila with the city of Karachi in Pakistan, because of their social, cultural and economic commonalities.
As guest of honor, Assistant Secretary Millicent Cruz-Parades of the Department of Foreign Affairs conveyed the felicitations of the Philippine government on the eve of the National Day of Pakistan and wished peace and prosperity for the Pakistanis.
Coinciding with the festivities, the BusinessMirror published an exclusive four-page supplement on Pakistan that featured articles on the history and significance of Pakistan Day, Pakistan-Philippines relations, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the leading export industries of Pakistan. It can be accessed online through https://businessmirror.com.ph/category/features/envoys-expats/.