National Day of Bosnia celebrated

Islamabad : To celebrate the National Day and Armed Forces day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ambassador Brigadier General (r) Sakib Foric hosted a reception at the Marriott Hotel. The event was held in the Marquee Hall and well attended but not too crowded, with diplomats; members of the diplomatic Defense Corp; senior Pakistani officers of the Armed Forces and civilians of note. The guest of honour was Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat and the cake cutting ceremony took place with all the VIP’s on stage joining in.

An exhibition of photographs had been arranged alongside the pool and the red carpet led past it so that guests could view the beautiful images of places in Bosnia Herzegovina, while a video screening of the activities of the armed forces and relations with Pakistan was shown inside.

Welcoming his guests the host thanked them for attending the two very important days of his country –Nov 25th and Dec 1st (AFD) with the words, “It is indeed a great privilege and honor that you have joined us here this evening.” Giving a brief history of the war for independence from 1992 -95 he said, “Today we are a stable country with a bright future and fully prepared to join the EU and NATO allies.” Speaking about the armed forces he said from a post conflict country with three armed forces they now had one unique armed force established on the state level with 16000 professional soldiers who have the capability to serve the people in times of natural calamities and in UN missions in different countries. Speaking about relations with Pakistan he said, “Our two countries have always enjoyed a good, friendly relationship, especially in fields of mutual interest and the wish for peace, prosperity and happiness for our people.” He concluded by thanking the sponsors of the event and hoped his guests would enjoy the evening.

The guest of honor began by requesting a minute of silence for the victims of terrorist attacks that had taken place; said it was a pleasure to attend the celebration; spoke of the close relations between B&H; briefly mentioned the cooperation with the country in its days of trouble; recalled some memorable occasions of interaction and reiterated the resolve of Pakistan’s Armed Forces to fight terrorism and destabilizing of their country. Dinner with B&H and other cuisine was served, during which popular Pakistani vocalist, Arieb Azhar - who lived in Bosnia for a while - then presented a couple of soulful songs in their language and concluded with an inspiring Sufi composition, ending the evening on a thoughtful note.