Chinese envoy donates Rs1m to PFOWA

Charity bazaar depicts various cultures, traditions, cuisines

ISLAMABAD: Thousands thronged to the charity bazaar on Sunday held under the aegis of Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association (PFOWA).

The hallmark of the bazaar, as usual, was the presence of various foreign missions that established their stalls. Chinese Deputy Head of Mission Lijian Zhao donated Rs1 million to PFOWA on behalf of the embassy of China.

Earlier, PFOWA President Anila Hassan in her welcome address said the theme of the bazar which was 'celebration of diversity’ was apt at a time when the world is facing issues of tolerance and discrimination on the basis of race, colour, caste and creed.

PFOWA Patron Mehreen Qureshi said the Association was adhering to its mission of philanthropy since 1947 to reach out to low-income families in diplomatic corps.

Moreover, on stalls, the foreign missions displayed various items depicting lifestyle, culture and traditions of the respective country.

Besides, the event provided the guests with an opportunity of tasting delicacies of various countries.  The Central Asian and Arabian cuisines remained center of attraction for the visitors.

This year the Saudi embassy also actively took part in the bazaar by establishing two separate stalls. The head of press section of the Saudi Embassy was there personally to welcome the guests. He also welcomed Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the stall and offered him Saudi dates.

The bazaar brought together a vast mix of cultural diversity from different countries.

First Lady, Samina Alvi inaugurated the charity bazar at the premises of Foreign Affairs Ministry, where stalls showcased traditional artifacts of countries including China, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Russia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Maldives, Central Asian states, Malaysia, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also made special appearance and visited various stalls. Earlier, Begum Alvi in her address said it was heartening that the charity bazaar was presenting a bouquet of culture, art and cuisine with an essence of harmony and affinity among different nations.

She lauded Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic community in Islamabad to team up for a noble cause of philanthropy.

She also shared her experience on the philanthropic work she has been involved in including providing education to street children, women empowerment and distribution of ration and clean drinking water to underprivileged Muslims and minorities, and arranging cataract surgeries.

She added that the PFOWA charity bazaar was a good opportunity for diplomats from different countries to learn about each other’s cultures. Flanked by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, the first lady also visited different stalls set up at the bazaar.

A ‘Parade of nations’ was held where children of diplomatic staffers, donning cultural dresses of their respective countries, presented tableaus and waved their respective national flags The PFOWA bazaar also provided the visitors an opportunity to indulge their tastebuds into a dining experience of a variety of cuisines from different countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2018.