Reception hosted to mark 61st anniversary of Independence of Tunisia

Islamabad

On the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Tunisia, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia and Mrs. Adel Elarbi hosted a reception to celebrate.

The event was held at the Serena Hotel and attended by a large number of guests both Pakistanis and from the diplomatic community. The guest of honour was Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination, Riaz Hussain Pirzada and the cake was cut after the national anthems of both countries had been played, with ambassadors of other African and Arab countries participating.

Guests were given a warm welcome by the hosts and other members of the embassy after walking into the Shamadan Hall of Serena Hotel on a rose petal lined red carpet. Lively Tunisian music played in the background, while a video screening of heritage sites and other places of interest were introduced in a running commentary throughout the evening. An exhibition of books on Tunisia had been put up on one side and there were paintings of Tunisia as seen through the eyes of a Pakistani artist, who had also made a few portraits of Tunisian heroes and men of note, which was interesting. 

As per the norms of Eastern hospitality, dinner with a variety of dishes was served and most guests stayed on to enjoy the meal and interact with their friends and members of the embassy. 

Addressing his guests, Ambassador Elarbi said it was a matter of pride and great honor to address the brotherly people of Pakistan on the occasion of the anniversary of the Independence of the Tunisian people. 

 “It is an auspicious day for Tunisians to pay tribute to our people who sacrificed their lives to gain freedom for our country,” he said. “On this day, we salute all our national heroes and leaders who guided us from confinement to freedom and contributed to build institutions of a modern state.”

Switching to Urdu, for which he received a round of applause, he repeated the words of welcome, as well as expressed his pleasure that they were celebrating the national day with their Pakistani friends from many walks of life and concluded by paying tribute to the government and people of Pakistan with which Tunisia has longstanding and traditional relations of cooperation and brotherhood.

It is said that Tunisia may be but a slim wedge of North Africa’s vast horizontal expanse, but it has enough history and diverse natural beauty to pack a country many times its size. With a balmy, sand-fringed Mediterranean coast, scented with jasmine and sea breezes, and where the fish on your plate is always fresh, Tunisia is prime territory for a straightforward sun-sand-and-sea holiday. But beyond the beaches, it’s a thrilling, underrated destination where distinct cultures and incredible extremes of landscape – forested coastlines along the coast, Saharan sand seas in the south – can be explored in just a few days.