Pakistan Day Celebrated At Pakistan High Commission London

The Pakistan Day was marked with a flag hoisting ceremony here at the Pakistan High Commission, London on Friday morning.

LONDON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2018 ) :The Pakistan Day was marked with a flag hoisting ceremony here at the Pakistan High Commission, London on Friday morning. High Commissioner Syed Ibne Abbas unfurled the national flag in the premises of the High Commission in an impressive ceremony.

After the recitation from the Holy Quran, the messages of President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi were read out. A large number of people including mayors, councillors, community leaders, members of Pakistani diaspora, officials from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), British friends of Pakistan, a delegation of Pakistan Peace Collective, students and representatives of media attended the ceremony.

Syed Ibne Abbas, in his address on the occasion, shed light on the importance of Pakistan Day as the turning point in the national history. He paid glowing tribute to Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other founding fathers, who, through their unwavering resolve and visionary leadership brought the Muslims of the sub-continent at one platform and created a separate homeland for them.

Giving an overview of Pakistan, the High Commissioner said: "Despite challenges, Pakistan is moving forward and narrative of Pakistan is changing fast." He said due to the economic reforms agenda of the government, the economy was growing at the rate of 5.6%, which was likely to touch the figure of 6% next year.

The foreign investors, he said, were showing keen interest in Pakistan. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a game changer with $62 billion investment portfolio, that would not only benefit Pakistan but would bring about regional economic integration, he added.

"Security of Pakistan has significantly improved, and I pay tribute to our government, civil and armed law enforcement agencies, and the resilient people of Pakistan to successfully face the challenge of terrorism," he said.

The high commissioner said the anti-Pakistan elements were not happy with the CPEC and were hatching conspiracies in the way to the economic prosperity of Pakistan but they would not succeed in their nefarious designs and "Our beloved country would continue to prosper and progress".

On Pakistan-UK relations, the high commissioner underscored the importance of deep-rooted bilateral ties, and informed that constant stream of high level visits from the United Kingdom (UK) to Pakistan was another manifestation of our mutually beneficial relations.

However, he added that despite excellent bilateral relations, the UK sponsored the recent move to put Pakistan on the Grey List Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which was a matter of a grave concern for Pakistan.

The high commissioner called upon the Pakistani diaspora to connect with their local members of parliament and effectively put across Pakistan's point of view on important issues. He thanked the community for their unified stance over anti-Pakistan campaign on London taxis and digital billboards last year.

He also congratulated those British-Pakistani diaspora, who had been awarded Pride of Performance on the auspicious occasion of Pakistan Day. The high commissioner also shared the details of the last year's celebrations for the 70th Independence Anniversary of Pakistan organized by the mission and thanked the community for their full participation in the celebrations.

He also commended the role of the community in development and progress of Pakistan and the UK. Another challenge for Pakistan, the high commissioner said, was ceasefire violations by India across Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary, due to which a large number of innocent lives had been lost.

He said: "During 2017, India violated the ceasefire 1970 times while in less than three months of this year these violations have already reached to 400." He said the Indian provocations could jeopardized the peace of the entire region.

Therefore, he suggested, both the countries should resolve the outstanding issues including the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. He reiterated Pakistan's continuous political, diplomatic and moral support for the just cause of the Kashmiri people.

On this occasion, local singers Durdana Ansari OBE and Sarah Peters presented the popular national songs and thrilled the audience. Shakeel Khan's new national song was also launched during the ceremony and was received with huge applause.

The guests were served with traditional Pakistani brunch. Similar events were held at other four consulates of Pakistan in Birmingham, Bradford, Glasgow and Manchester.