Reception hosted to mark Bangladesh National Day

Islamabad: On the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Independence and National Day of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, the high commissioner and Mrs Tarik Ahsan hosted a reception at the Serena Hotel. The reception was attended by diplomats, including those from SAARC member countries; Pakistani officials; business men and others. The mayor of Islamabad Sheikh Anser Aziz; Minister for Mines and Minerals of Punjab Province, Sher Ali Khan; Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed; Senator (r) Farhatullah Babar and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Imtiaz Ahmad were also present.

Photographs of scenic and historic sites had been placed along the red carpet to give a glimpse of these to the guests; music played and a couple of folk dances were performed to showcase this cultural aspect of the country. Unfortunately, they performed at ground level so it was not possible for all the guests to see them, but those who managed to be in the semi-circle around them appreciated the performance. Dinner was served with cuisine of both countries, along with specialties of Bangladeshi sweet yogurt and ‘ras gulas’ which were enjoyed by the guests.

Addressing the guests, the host thanked them for joining in the celebration and offered his ‘profound homage’ to the memory of Father of the Nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and expressed gratitude over the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs, freedom fighters and people who suffered immensely during the war of liberation.

“The ideals of the Bangladesh’s liberation struggle as enshrined in the Proclamation of Independence have remained the guiding principles of our country in her forward journey as an independent nation,” he said. “Following those overarching progressive values, Bangladesh has emerged as a responsive and responsible member of the international community.” As an example he cited the fact that Bangladesh has given shelter to over a million forcibly displaced Rohingya people from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds; in international diplomacy, Bangladesh is generally regarded as a voice of moderation; a proponent of disarmament and culture of peace; an advocate of climate action; safe migration; linguistic rights; rights of persons with disabilities and a leader in UN peace keeping operations.

“Bangladesh has made commendable progress in social development, compared with other countries in similar socio-economic milieu,” he said. Mentioning the Global Gender Gap Reports of World Economic Forum that Bangladesh is the best performing country in women empowerment in the South Asia, he added that turning the population into an asset, Bangladesh has achieved impressive strides in economic development and this had made celebration of independence truly meaningful.

He concluded by thanking the guests for their attention and voicing a sincere hope that “the brotherly people of Pakistan will realise their full potentials in accomplishing greater peace, progress and prosperity. Bangladesh and Pakistan are related by historical, cultural and regional bonds. The cooperation in areas of trade, sports and training is worth-mentioning. Indeed, Bangladesh is the 11th largest buyer of Pakistani products in the world and a significant employer of Pakistani skilled human resources.”