Gauhar Zahid Malik
MUSCAT
A large number of Pakistanis contributing to Oman’s socio-economic growth are expected to attend the Pakistan Festival being held Friday July 26, at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
The Pakistan Festival is being organized by Alpha Events under the auspices of the Embassy of Pakistan in Oman.
Ambassador of Pakistan in Oman Ali Javed is taking personal interest to make the upcoming even a success. Since his joining the Pakistani mission in Muscat, one sees an accelerated pace of interaction between the two countries on a wider scale of bilateral relations ranging from trade to education, health and investment.
Apart from the local Omanese and the Pakistani community, more than 20 eminent Pakistanis hailing from diverse fields and professions are also participating in the Festival to mark His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said’s ascension to the throne some 49 years ago on July 23, 1970.
Not only people of Oman but of Pakistan as well also are joining in prayers for the long, healthy and cherished life of His Majesty the Sultan under whose rule the country has achieved goals of iconic progress, peace and prosperity.
The festival will be first of its kind as intellectuals, poets, artists, media persons and members of civil society will be attending the event to celebrate the day and wish the monarch health and long life.
It will be a platform for the Pakistani intellectuals and artists to pay rich tributes to His Majesty for his 50-year service to the Sultanate and will also highlight the strength of Pakistan-Oman bilateral relations.
“The main idea behind this festival is to pay tribute to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said for opening doors not just to our community but to various nationals living in the Sultanate in peace and harmony,” said Qamar Riaz, Festival Coordinator and Director of PSCO.
We would like to pay our utmost gratitude to him for the support and welfare he has provided to all, he said. He said Pakistan Festival is open to all and completely free of charge. On the occasion, besides speeches, poetry session, and lecture, more than 25 Pakistani artists will also perform to the tunes of Pakistani songs and music.
Since the first day of his rule, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has been very keen on making the Omani citizen a living organic part in the country’s development process and to achieve the objects of lasting peace and progress in the country.
His trust in his people has earned him their unconditional love and respect and throughout the past 49 years, the Omani man has been the aim and centre of his development plans and programmes.
While presiding over the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 5 January 2019, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said expressed satisfaction over the constant efforts of the Government and all state institutions with regard to wholesome progress in the civil, military, technical and other areas of development across this kind land.
His Majesty has noted with gratitude that the march of comprehensive development with positive growth rates is continuing and maintained the level of basic social services for the citizens across the country, besides diversifying sources of income and increasing contributions of non-oil revenues in the total state revenues.
In this context, intensive efforts are being exerted in the Sultanate in all fields, both in terms of assessing the future vision “Oman 2020” which will end next year and benefit hundreds and thousands from its lessons and results and will also help in preparation for the future vision “Oman 2040” which will begin in 2021, coinciding with the 10th five-year development plan (2021-2025).
His Majesty in his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has also promoted the national capacities of the state’s civil institutions in preparation for the national exercise Al Shomoukh-2 in October last followed by the Omani-British military exercise Swift Sword-3.
On the other hand, the light munitions and weapons factory, the first of its kind in the Sultanate was also opened in the Wilayat of Sumail early 2018.
While presiding over the Council of Ministers meeting, His Majesty the Sultan has also expressed appreciation for the continuous efforts exerted by the government noting that these efforts helped achieve comprehensive development.
The Omanese are receiving utmost respect and esteem everywhere in the world; thanks to the Sultanate’s wise policies. The visit by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the Sultanate of Oman on January 29-31 early this year also strengthened the already strong bilateral relations between the two neighbourly countries and contributed to achieve the joint mutual interests.
