Rwanda High Commission celebrates 31st Liberation Day
The High Commission of the Republic of Rwanda celebrated the 31st Liberation Day with a ceremony that highlighted the country’s remarkable journey of resilience and transformation, as well as the growing friendship with Pakistan.
Since opening the Rwandan mission in Islamabad earlier this year in April, this was the first Liberation Day reception hosted by High Commissioner Fatou Harerimana in a typical and lively Rwandan style.
The reception ceremony was attended by a large number of the government officials, ministers, parliamentarians, armed forces serving and retired officers, business community representatives and of course members of the Diplomatic community.
Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori, Member National Assembly, Mrs Farrukh Khan, former Chairman of the JCSC, Gen (R) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Turkmenistan Ambassador Atadjan Movlamov, Mushahid Hussain Sayed and Additional Foreign Secretary, Hamid Asghar Khan were among the prominent guests who attended the ceremony and greeted the High Commissioner on the auspicious occasion.
National anthems of the two countries were also played and a cake was cut to mark the Liberation Day of Rwanda.
High Commissioner Fatou paid tributes to the sacrifices and determination that paved the way for Rwanda’s liberation on July 4, 1994, after the genocide against the Tutsi. She described the Liberation Day as the rebirth of a nation determined to overcome the legacy of division and build an inclusive and prosperous society. “We honour the brave men and women of the Rwanda Patriotic Army who took the strong decision to fight the oppressive regime that led the country to genocide,” she said.
About Rwanda’s progress, she noted that the country had become one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies with GDP growth rising from 7.8 per cent in 2023 to 8.9 per cent last year. Rwanda was widely recognised as the cleanest and greenest country in Africa and led the world in women’s representation in parliament with women holding 63.7 per cent of seats.
She outlined Rwanda’s ambition under Vision 2050, which aimed at elevating the country to upper-middle-income status by 2035 and high-income status by 2050 through sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life. Rwanda has also emerged as a hub for international conferences and sporting events, including hosting CHOGM 2022, the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2019, Women Deliver 2023, the upcoming UCI World Cycling Championships in Kigali this September and even Formula 1 in 2026.
The High Commissioner emphasized the strong bond of bilateral relations based on mutual trust and understanding between Rwanda and Pakistan and the ongoing cooperation in health, education, trade, defence and technology. She expressed optimism about expanding cooperation into areas such as agriculture, tourism, culture, sports, artificial intelligence and gender empowerment. Former Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who was chief guest at the ceremony, described Rwanda as a unique success story in the annals of Africa and the global South. He recalled his meeting with the president of Rwanda calling him the strongman of Africa and attributing Rwanda’s progress to him. A captivating cultural performance was the highlight of the event.
