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.”
Arabs dominate Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association charity event
Arabs dominate Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association charity event
- Bazaar aimed to raise funds for families of low-income staffers of the Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs
- Embassies from Middle Eastern countries served up cultural performances, costumes, music and art displays and food
Pakistan says it backs Gaza peace plan, hopes next phase leads to Palestinian state
- Foreign Office says it is not concerned about who joins or stays out of the Abraham Accords
- Pakistan reaffirms rejection of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, warns of regional instability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday it supported the Gaza peace plan endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, expressing hope its next phase would stabilize the situation in the war-ravaged territory, scale up humanitarian assistance and lead to an independent Palestinian state.
The United States said on Wednesday it was moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X that the second phase will establish “a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza” and mark the beginning of “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.”
Commenting on the development, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan had taken note of the announcement.
“We have seen this social media post about the next phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and we express the hope that these steps will lead to further stabilization of the situation, and upscaling the humanitarian assistance and end of the sacrifices of the people,” he said while addressing his weekly news conference.
Andrabi said Pakistan had been engaged in the Gaza peace effort as part of a group of Arab and Islamic countries since the initiative was presented by the US president and supported both the plan and the UN Security Council resolution endorsing it.
“We also hope that these efforts will lead to a credible time bound, political process consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions to establish an independent, sovereign, contiguous state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.
Asked about Pakistan’s position on the Abraham Accords, a series of US-brokered agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states, Andrabi said Islamabad’s stance remained unchanged.
“Our position with respect to it is that there are certain benchmarks that have to be achieved ... And [these relate do] a viable, contiguous state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
He said Pakistan did not judge other countries’ choices on the accords.
“We are not concerned about who does or who does not join the Abraham Accords,” he said.
SOMALILAND ISSUE
Earlier in his opening remarks, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s rejection of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region of Somalia, calling the move illegal and warning it could destabilize the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but is not recognized by the United Nations or the African Union.
Israel’s recent steps to recognize the territory have drawn criticism from Somalia and several Muslim-majority countries.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raised the issue during the 22nd Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah on Jan. 10.
“In his address, the DPM-FM strongly condemned the illegal and unlawful recognition by Israel of the Somaliland region, as well as subsequent unwarranted and highly provocative visits of Israeli officials to the territory,” the Foreign Office spokesman said.
“He termed such acts as political aggression and a direct assault on Somalia’s internationally recognized borders, setting a perilous precedent and threatening peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and beyond.”
Andrabi said Dar also addressed the Palestinian issue during the session, rejecting proposals for the displacement of Palestinians and reaffirming Pakistan’s long-standing support for a two-state solution.
