‘Modi played risky gamble for BJP’s victory, appears loser’

ISLAMABAD: The guests in Bulgarian National Day reception hosted by its Ambassador Roumen Pirontchev at his residence in Diplomatic Enclave Monday evening were engaged in candid discussion with regard to the developments in South Asia with reference to India’s recent aggression against Pakistan and global concern about it.

To the utter disappointment of the host envoy Defence Minister Pervez Khattak who had to be chief guest on the occasion didn’t turn up to grace the event. His non-availability was informed the embassy at the eleventh hour.

Ambassador Roumen Pirontchev who is among the senior most diplomats posted in Islamabad addressed the guests and threw light on the struggle of his country for attaining liberation. The guests were of the view that standoff between the two countries has diverted the attention of the people of both the countries to their real problems and it favoured the political leadership.

They were of the view that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has played the risky gamble for his BJP Party’s victory in the upcoming polls of his country appears to be loser in it.

Aslam Khaliq, founder of Hunar Foundation, who has come all the way from Karachi to attend the reception and Additional Foreign Secretary Babar Hashmi were conspicuous among the guests of the honour. Babar Hashmi till recent served as Pakistan’s ambassador in Bulgarian capital Sofia.

Turkey’s Ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul also attended the reception as his country had old history of animosity with Bulgaria before its liberation.

Bulgaria celebrates its National Liberation Day as 141 years ago it was liberated from the Ottoman Rule that lasted for five centuries. On that day in 1878 the San Stefano peace treaty was signed, thus putting an end to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war of liberation.

Bulgaria was constituted as an autonomous state, yet it remained a vassal state within the Ottoman Empire. It covered almost all lands in the European part of the empire that were populated by Bulgarians. The total area of the country amounted to over 170,000 square kilometers.

The San Stefano peace treaty gave Bulgaria many rights, including the right to seek recognition from countries that were not part of the peace treaty, as well as the right to maintain independent international trade relations and have its own army and police.

The San Stefano peace treaty fulfilled Bulgaria’s ideal for national unity. That is why Bulgaria has been celebrating for decades its national holiday on the day of the treaty’s signature.

In 1990 March 3 was declared a national holiday with a decree of the State Council and the National Assembly.