Families, foreign nationals participate in Nowruz festivities
Zubair Qureshi
Begum Samina Arif Alvi on Saturday said Nowruz promoted values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as fostered reconciliation and neighborliness.
She was speaking at an event held to mark the celebrations of Jashn-e-Nowruz at Islamabad Serena Hotel.
Nowruz is a festivity marking the first day of spring and renewal of nature.
The event though largely attended yet was held strictly following all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines.
Parliamentary Secretary for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aftab Jehangir, Dean of Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov and Chief Executive Officer of Serena Hotels Aziz Boolani also spoke on the occasion.
Ambassadors, diplomats and a large number of the citizens of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were present on the occasion showcasing their countries’ rich culture, cuisine and craft.
Samina Alvi while felicitating ambassadors, diplomats and their families said Nowruz contributed to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities, Nowruz fitted closely with the UNESCO’s mandate.
Nowruz celebrations were organized by the diplomatic community of nine countries collectively.
Begum Samina visited each stall set up on the occasion by the respective embassy of the country and exchanged pleasantries with the ambassador or diplomat of the respective country and his family.
They also presented her small gifts as souvenirs to remind her of her visit to their stall.
She also congratulated Serena Hotels and all the participating countries on this auspicious occasion.
This is the beginning of the New Year and a new hope to renew our commitments towards peace and humanity, she said.
CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia Aziz Boolani thanked the First Lady and the collaborating countries as well as those in attendance for their participa-
tion.
“At Serena Hotels, we believe in creating positive linkages that can bring value to the society, and our various Diplomacy initiatives follow this overarching mission.
The Nowruz event at Serena Hotels has become a yearly feature and a unique platform for the Nowruz celebrating countries to come together to celebrate this UN-recognized festival collectively,” he said.
