A flag hoisting ceremony was held at Pakistan High Commission, Singapore, to commemorate 82nd National Day of Pakistan. Due to the COVID-19 related protocols, the Mission restricted the gathering to the High Commission’s staff. High Commissioner, Ms. Rukhsana Afzaal, hoisted the flag to the tune of the National Anthem, followed by the messages of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, read out by Press Counsellor, Mr. Muhammad Saleem, and Deputy High Commissioner, Ms. Farhana Asif, respectively. The ceremony ended with prayers for security, stability, and economic prosperity of the country in line with the vision of our founding fathers, says a press release received here today from Singapore.
Later in the evening, the High Commission hosted a virtual National Day ceremony, which began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the National Anthems of Singapore and Pakistan. In her remarks, High Commissioner Ms. Rukhsana Afzaal referred to the major milestones in Pakistan-Singapore bilateral relations achieved last year, including a brief interaction between Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Madam Halimah Yacob in Beijing in February 2022, on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics and second round of Bilateral Political Consultations between the two foreign ministries in January 2022. She highlighted the immense potential of economic partnership existing between the two countries, especially in agro-food, digitalization, telecom, Fintechs, SMEs and infrastructure development. She enumerated the initiatives taken by the Government of Pakistan to promote the country as a tourism hub and investors-friendly destination, especially in the context of CPEC related SEZs. She also summarized the Mission’s efforts to forge close institutional linkages between trade organizations, TVET institutions, academia, and think tanks of Pakistan and Singapore.
H.E Ms. Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education and concurrently Minister of State for Social and Family Development was the guest of honour, who in her virtual remarks underscored the history, scope and prospects of bilateral ties between Pakistan and Singapore as well as the contribution of Pakistani diaspora to Singapore’s development.
The virtual ceremony was a choreographed potpourri of Pakistan’s history, art, culture and tourism. It included a documentary on the tourism potential of KP province bringing forth the harmonious blend of nature, hospitality, and culture of Pakistan. A painting exhibition of renowned Pakistani artist Jimmy Engineer focusing on Pakistan’s cultural and archeological heritage was the highlight of the ceremony. Another distinctive feature of the ceremony was an interview with Mr. Amardeep Singh and his wife, Ms. Vininder Kaur, producers of “Allegory-A tapestry of Guru Nanak’s travels”, a 24-episode docuseries on the life and teachings of Baba Guru Nanak. The docuseries filmed in nine countries, focuses predominantly on Pakistan’s rich Sikh heritage. Released last year, the docuseries generated immense interest among the Sikh community around the world. The ceremony also included a live painting activity by Phool Patti, a social enterprise that promotes the vibrant Truck Art of Pakistan. National songs sung by Pakistani children added colour and vibrancy to the virtual ceremony, which was well attended by a large cross-section of the Pakistani diaspora, local dignitaries, and diplomatic corps in Singapore.
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