UK high commissioner lauds relations with Pakistan

Karachi
“It is an auspicious occasion for both the UK and Pakistan for it is today that we are reminded of the deep ties that bind the UK and Pakistan in so many fields.”
So said Philip Barton, the UK High Commissioner to Pakistan on the 89th birthday celebrations of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II - Monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – held at the UK Deputy High Commission on Thursday.
He reminded the guests of the 1 million Pakistanis residing in the UK plus another 100 million which travel between the two countries annually.
“We really value our ties with Pakistan, ties which are taking place in an air of democracy,” Barton said.
He reminded the gathering that Queen Elizabeth II would become the longest reigning monarch (63 years) this year.
June would also mark the 1500th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in Britain, a document that was the bedrock of democracy and human rights the world over, he said.
Speaking of the British government’s support in the field of education, Barton mentioned the 80,000 Sindhi children being helped through a government sponsored programme. He also made mention of the Chevening scholarships which were helping groom media-folk and people in other social sciences.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad while addressing the audience paid warm tributes to the Queen. He recounted her invaluable services to the British nation and nostalgically recalled her two visits to Pakistan in 1961 and 1997.
“Today we celebrate the long and lasting ties between our two countries and the invaluable services of the Queen.”
Earlier, UK Deputy-High Commissioner in Karachi John Anthony Tucknott, welcomed the guests. The national anthems of both the countries were also played.
At the entry to the reception venue was parked a shiny, immaculate 1924 model Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, belonging to the Quaid in which he along with Lord Mountbatten drove from the Governor’s House to the present-day Sindh Assembly for transfer of power to Pakistan at the end of the 250 years of the British rule over the sub-continent 68 years ago.