& Syed Mussarat Khalil RIYADH/JEDDAH — The Pakistan Day was celebrated in Riyadh and Jeddah today with zeal and zest. A flag hoisting ceremony was held at the Embassy. It was attended by a large number of community members. Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq hoisted the national flag. The messages of the President and Prime Minister to the nation on the National Day were read out. Haq extended warm felicitations to the expatriate community in the Kingdom and around the world on the auspicious occasion of the National Day. He highlighted the significance of the day in the history of Pakistan and the struggle for independence. The ambassador said Pakistan has made tremendous progress. It has evolved into a progressive, democratic and moderate state. It has an active parliament, independent judiciary, vibrant media and active society. He highlighted the developments made in the past three years. The Operation Zarb-e-Azb has dismantled the network of terrorism and terrorists are on the run now. The economy has shown an upward trend. The country is becoming an attractive destination for foreign investors. He lauded the role of expatriate Pakistan community in the development of Pakistan's economy and for their contribution to the development of Saudi Arabia. "They serve as a bridge of friendship between the two countries," he said. He said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong fraternal relations. These relations are based on the aspirations of the people of the two countries. The relations are multidimensional and have been growing from strength to strength. "The relations will be taken to new heights in the years to come," he said. Qari Syed Sadaqat Ali was the guest on the occasion who mesmerized the audience with his qiraat. The function concluded with Dua for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. A reception has been arranged in the evening for around 500 guests including local officials, diplomats and Pakistan community members. In Jeddah the Consul General Shahryar Akbar Khan performed the flag hoisting ceremony at his residence which was also attended by members of the Pakistani Community. In his address to the gathering, the Consul General said Pakistan epitomizes aspirations of our founding fathers. Their version was to establish a country where we all could lead our lives in accordance with the Islamic ideals of freedom, sovereignty, democracy, equality, justice, tolerance and non-discrimination. He thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Saudi government for continued support to the Pakistan community in the Kingdom. He gave two good news to the community on the occasion, as Pakistan foreign secretary has given a formal approval for construction of new building of the consulate, also online appointment system for machine readable passport will deal with around 300 people after April 10. Nadra started online application system for national identity card to facilitate large number of community. He also explained the improvement that has been done in the consulate to facilitate the Pakistani community, as visitors will be provided chairs in the outer area of the consulate, also new toilets have been constructed for ladies, and also women have been employed d to deal with the female visitors of the consulate. Shoib Akber acting press consular, conducted the ceremony. Sarwar Saeed deputy consul general, read out president of Pakistan message. Junaid Wazir, HOC, read out prime minister's message. Both Haq and Khan urged the Pakistani community to be united and disciplined and work hard for the development of both the Kingdom and Pakistan. National songs were also played on the occasion. Special Supplements were also published by Daily Arab News, Urdu News, and Saudi Gazette on this occasion.
