Swiss CG all praise for Pakistanis’ resilience

Karachi
Pakistanis are a highly resilient people and really know how to bounce back from national catastrophes.
These were the remarks of Emil Wyss, the Consul General of Switzerland in Karachi, while briefing the media on Friday at the Swiss Consulate General on the forthcoming Pakistan-Switzerland Friendship Exhibition to be held at the Karachi Airport from May 29.
He said that was one of the reasons that the Swiss corporate sector had decided to hold the exhibition at a sensitive venue like the airport. “I have been here for just over a year and I have seen how, even after the most dreadful of catastrophes, the people have come together to combat and, to whatever extent possible, undo the massive damage resulting from these unfortunate incidents,” said Wyss.
In this case, he especially cited the unfortunate incident of the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar on December 16, 2014 which claimed the lives of 132 children, in addition to the staff and others, and said that the whole nation had come together to mitigate the damage and was united in tragedy.
He also cited many other suicide bombings and terrorist attacks claiming so many lives and said that the spirit of the Pakistanis to stand firm in the face of such adversity was highly praiseworthy.
Besides, he said, Pakistan was a country with a high degree of corporate social responsibility. That, he said, was one of the reasons for choosing Pakistan as the venue for such an exhibition. Wyss added that on account of the corporate social responsibility factor, this exhibition project would greatly benefit the people of Pakistan.
He said that owing partly to the exaggerated reporting in international media and partly to other factors, Pakistan carried a very unflattering image overseas which was quite far removed from the truth.
“True, Karachi is a crime-riddled city but it doesn’t figure in the world’s 100 most crime-riddled metropolises. Things certainly aren’t as bad as projected to be,” Wyss said, adding that it was partly to dispel that somewhat erroneous impression that Pakistan had been chosen for such an exhibition.