A unique colourful reception marks armed forces day of Uzbekistan
Zubair Qureshi
Members of the Diplomatic Corps, serving and retired officers of the armed forces and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bureaucrats, parliamentarians and members of civil society Thursday spent a memorable evening at a reception marking the Armed Forces Day of Uzbekistan.
Embassy of Uzbekistan keeps alive its tradition of celebrating its national days in a unique fashion and this time Ambassador Furkat Sidikov and Defence Attaché Lt Col Sadullah Tashmatov had invited the Uzbek military band to perform on the occasion of 28th Day of Defender of Motherland (Armed Forces Day) at Marriott.
Vice Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, Senator Talha Mehmood, Mayor of Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation Sheikh Ansar Aziz, fellow ambassadors of Central Asian and other countries, Executive Editor of Pakistan Observer Gauhar Zahid Malik along with his spouse were among the noted guests attending the reception and greeting Ambassador of Uzbekistan Furkat Sidikov and Defence Attaché Lt Col Sadullah Tashmatov on the auspicious occasion.
Besides cake cutting and playing of the national anthems of two countries Uzbek military troupe and musicians’ performance was something that made the occasion special one
To the sheer delight of the Pakistani audience the performers not only presented Uzbek songs but also sang Pakistani popular songs and warmed their hearts with tones of friendship.
Another highlight of the evening was the mesmerizing performance of Uzbek children. Clad in traditional Uzbek attire they received rounds of applause by the guests over each step they took and each movement they made. Uzbek pilaf (pullao) was yet another delicacy that attracted their attention.
Ambassador Furqat Sikikov in his brief remarks said he was delighted to present the respected guests a taste of Uzbekistan colours, music, culture and food. “We have a deep bond of friendship and the relations between the two countries are bound to grow in trade, tourism, education, energy and health sectors,” he said. He assured he would continue to work for greater cooperation between the two countries.
The ambassador was all praise for the people of Pakistan for extending great love and affection to their Uzbek brothers and sisters and hoped both countries would continue to enjoy cordial and warm relations in the years to come.
It may be mentioned here that Uzbekistan has recently started direct flights from Lahore to Tashkent, which has given spur to trade and business activity besides boosting tourism prospects between the two countries.
Trade volume between Pakistan and Uzbekistan has increased three times during past few years with strong possibility of further improvements.
