Arabs dominate Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association charity event

ISLAMABAD: Stalls set up by embassies of Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia dominated a charity event held by the Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association (PFOWA) on Sunday, with diplomats’ families serving up cultural performances, costumes, music and art displays and food delicacies from around the world. 
Samina Alvi, the wife of President Dr. Arif Alvi, inaugurated the bazaar held on the lawns of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Sunday, where families of diplomats set up stalls showcasing the diversity of their respective countries and raised funds for low-income staffers at MoFA.
The embassy of Saudi Arabia set up a traditional bedouin tent at the bazaar and served dates and gahwa, a traditional Arabic coffee. 
“We want to show Pakistani people the original culture of our ancestors,” Abdulelaah Ali Alsaeed, a Saudi embassy official told Arab News. “We welcome visitors in the tent and serve them dates and gahwa.”
The ambassador of Kuwait to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J. Almutairi applauded the theme of the charity bazar and said: “We are proud of becoming part of this noble reason. We are happy to show some Kuwaiti dishes which are quite similar to Pakistani cuisine.” 
“We are trying to show our culture to Pakistan as well as the international community through this event,” Almutairi told Arab News.
“It’s a chance for us to showcase our arts, handicrafts, our culture, dances and music and at the same time get closer to Pakistani community,” Ghada Ahmed Yacoub, the wife of the Egyptian ambassador, told Arab News.
Ambassador of Jordan, Ibrahim Almadani, said the event showed how Pakistan was opening its door to diverse cultures. “Today you can see the whole globe at this very tiny place,” he said.
Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan, told Arab News that the Turkish stall was the biggest at the event and showed the strength of Turkey’s bilateral relations with Pakistan: “We are here for a good cause and our mission is very proud to be here. We are very happy to contribute to this charity event and will contribute as much as possible.”