ADG.” Praising the young siblings for their adventurous spirit; determination and courage in undertaking the audacious journey to the highest point in the world and more importantly, giving a meaningful message of gender equality and empowerment since Mirza stayed back and let his sister complete the climb to the top. “This is a rare example of gender empowerment in practice,” he said. “There cannot be a more fitting tribute as we are all set to celebrate International Women’s Day this weekend.”
Chief guest, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry lauded Serena’s efforts to present the soft image of Pakistan and made everyone in the hall smile as he guilelessly revealed that his wife had earlier expressed the opinion that it appeared Serena was doing more than others to project a positive picture of Pakistan! After acknowledging the siblings courage and efforts to promote Pakistan in particular and adventure in general; the support from the ADG and others, he said the Foreign Office would work on a project to get the documentary screened wherever there was a Pakistani mission abroad — for which he received a round of appreciative applause.
President of the Alpine Club, Col (r) Sher Ali also thanked the organisers and sponsors while lauding the achievements of the siblings.
Closing the ceremony before refreshments were served, CEO Serena Hotels, Aziz Boolani, thanked everyone for attending the event which was to highlight the extraordinary achievements of a young girl and acknowledge the siblings role in presenting the softer image of Pakistan. “The younger generation is full of promise and very talented,” he said, “We at Serena will continue doing our best to highlight their achievements and lend our support.”
While the documentary is interesting and shows Saminas journey to the highest peak, juxtaposed with images of her life back home in her village and the breathtaking landscape of the area, the background commentary is not clear. Also while it is commendable that the producers have used music from the Northern areas, it is a little overpowering at times. If this documentary is to be screened for audiences abroad it needs a voiceover or complete sub-titles by someone who has good knowledge of the English language and a toning down of the music to be fully appreciated for its remarkable topic. Go, Pakistani women, go!