Diplomatic roundup: Egyptian lunch and calendar launch by the Japanese embassy

Diplomatic functions resume as people in Islamabad start inching towards normalcy.

ISLAMABAD: The brutal assassination of Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer in the heart of the capital city quickly scuppered any festive activities over the weekend. However, as the security worries lessened, people started inching towards normalcy, and by the end of the week diplomatic functions were being organised as usual.

It is always nice to be invited to afternoon receptions in the winters. Sunshine, already in limited supply, makes everything seem golden and bright. Inspired by its energy, I got into character for my first assignment — a scrumptious lunch hosted by the Egyptian Ambassador Magdy Amer in honour of the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and State Minister of Scientific research Dr Hany Helal.

Egypt — the land of pharaohs. Whenever I think about it, a marriage of myth and mystery comes to my mind. I thought about all the things that Pakistan shares with Egypt and how some of them could easily pass for Pakistanis, but that’s beside the point.

Snapping back to reality, I was greeted by Egyptian diplomats dressed in suits and escorted to the room where the rest of the journalists were sitting. Soon after, the meetings and the greetings began. There were just four female reporters versus some fifty men, but glass-ceilings can be discussed later.

The conversations hovered around much of the same old topics — the stories they are working on, their analysis of the current situation...  they really don’t give themselves a break!

Anyway, soon enough everyone was escorted to the hall and seated on the elegant roundtable setup. As soon as everyone was seated, hot tomato soup and bread began making the rounds.

After the perfect starter, the ambassador took the opportunity to thank the journalists for taking out the time to come.

The visiting Egyptian minister then spoke about his official work in Pakistan and made some observations about the country. As much as I tried to absorb his speech, I was distracted by the sight of a few of my fellow journalists yawning, with their eyes transfixed on the open buffet.

The move towards the buffet line must have felt like an aeon for some, a slow race that everyone wanted to win.

Ah, authentic Egyptian food. The taste was just alluring. Some of the diverse menu items included, Mesa’a’ah- a regional dish made of eggplant, onions and peppers  cooked in the Egyptian style, peanut rice, traditional pasta, chicken paneer — chicken made with cottage cheese — and om’ali raisin cakes for dessert.

Later that day, the Japanese embassy held its annual calendar exhibition at Pakistan National Council of the Arts. People came and browsed around for the pattern that best suited their walls.

However, as I skimmed through bright pictures of monuments and locations in Japan, reflecting its rich culture and history, my concentration swerved to the upcoming dates and months. All those calendars reminded me of how every year seems to be never-ending, and yet, on reflection, seems to have passed by in a moment.

Anxiously, I will look forward to what will invariably be an eventful year.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2011.