Farewell dinner hosted for four envoys

Islamabad
“Pakistan has been the country in which I have lived for the past few years. Now Pakistan lives in my heart,” said the ambassador of Egypt, Said Hindam when replying to a farewell speech by the host ambassador of Argentina, Rodolfo Martin-Saravia, who hosted a dinner in honour of four envoys who have finished their term of office in Pakistan - the ambassadors of the Czech Republic, Miroslav Krenek; Egypt, Said Hindam; Spain, Javier Carbajosa and the US, Richard Olson. It was a well attended affair even though a number of invitees failed to show up after accepting the invitation. The one person who regretted his non-attendance was Ambassador Olson who apologised that he could not make it for ‘unavoidable reasons.’
The dinner was held at the Serena Hotel with tables named after countries and a seating plan that had been well organised by the embassy staff many of whom were present to guide the guests, which was helpful because of the large number of invitees. Huma Ahmad was the MC for the evening.
In his address the host praised the envoys for their diplomatic skills, their cooperative attitude and friendly interaction with all their colleagues, while saying a few words about them on an individual basis according to his personal relationship with them. He concluded by wishing them all the best for the future; hoped they would meet again someday and thanked the sponsors for their help in hosting the dinner.
All three envoys responded in their own style after thanking the host. The Czech envoy, a soft spoken and quiet person who is retiring, said it had been an eventful and interesting four years which he and his wife Alena had enjoyed and were now looking forward to spending time with family and friends. The Spanish envoy, speaking loud and clear, said he was happy to meet so many of his friends on his last night in Pakistan - and on an aside at his table, “this is a great farewell!”
The host also presented a copy of the book, “Golden Thrones’ by Argentinean photographer and mountain climber, Tommy Heinrich, to each of his chief guests. This carefully compiled coffee table book has photographs of Pakistan’s breathtaking mountainous region and will serve as a reminder of their stay in the country. After the main course had been eaten and before dessert was served, guests shifted around to converse with their friends on other tables or stood chatting with each other, enjoying their company and the rest of the evening.