Zubair Qureshi
The people and the air force of Pakistan take great pride in the role played by the Polish pilots in raising the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), particularly the contributions of the distinguished Polish Air Commodore WladyslawTorawicz who was one of the 45 Polish officers and airmen who arrived in Pakistan but he after completion of his initial contract opted to stay on and continued to serve in the PAF.
Caretaker Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting MurtazaSolangi while addressing as Chief Guest a reception marking the 105th Anniversary of Poland’s Independence announced that in order to recognize the Polish Air Commodore’s contributions towards raising the PAF, there was a proposal under consideration to name the newly constructed BharaKahu Flyover as Torawicz Bypass.
Solangi said Commodore Turowicz is a familiar name in the PAF and served as the administrator of Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) from 1967 to 1970.
The reception was hosted by the Polish Ambassador MaciejPisarski at his residence and was attended by a large number of the friends of Poland including the parliamentarians, diplomats, business community, members of civil society and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Solangi said Pakistan was interested in enhancing its ties with Poland in trade, economic and investment sectors. “Last year, our bilateral trade reached US $ 89 million and there is a need for concerted efforts to increase it substantially,” he said. He particularly appreciated the Polish Oil & Gas Company (PGiNG)—the largest Polish oil and gas exploration and production company— for gas exploration and production in Pakistan.
Earlier, Ambassador MaciejPisarski briefed the guests about the Independence of Poland. The Polish nation laid down great sacrifices to achieve their independence. “This is a universal story and tragically, we have been witnessing gruesome scenes of death and violence even today in the world including the Middle East. Our hearts and minds go out to all who have been killed, injured, kidnapped or lost their homes and mourn with the families which have been painfully affected by such experience,” he said hoping one day both the Palestinians and Israelis will be able to live in peace and freedom and in their respective states and thus enjoy the inalienable rights of all human beings. He also expressed his government’s support for naming one of the streets of Islamabad after Air Commodore WladyslawTorawicz. At the end of the reception, Polish musician Jerzy Mączyński aka Pelican System performing at the Polish Independence Day reception delighted the guests with a Jazz performance.
