National Day Reception held at the Embassy of Pakistan on 23rd March, 2018

Washington: On the occasion of 78th Pakistan Day, a reception was hosted at the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C. on 23rd March, 2018.

Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Mrs. Najia Aizaz Ahmad and senior officials of the Embassy as well as their spouses greeted the guests. In his remarks, the Ambassador recalled the historic struggle for Pakistan’s freedom and emphasized that the democratic ideals and values espoused in the Lahore Resolution of 1940 guided the Muslims of the Sub-Continent to independence in 1947. These remained relevant even today.

The Ambassador added that in just 70 years since its independence, Pakistan had achieved a lot of successes and it had the potential to achieve even more in the years to come. He highlighted that the country’s economy, energy, and law and order situation had improved significantly in the last few years. On Pakistan-U.S. relations, he said both countries enjoyed historic and longstanding ties that had seen many ups and downs but had always remained resilient. He expressed the hope that both countries will work together to attain common objectives and secure shared interests.

Ms. Lisa Curtis, Deputy Assistant to the US President on South and Central Asia was Guest of Honor. She congratulated the people of Pakistan as well as Pakistani Americans on their National Day. She said Pakistan and the United States had a long history of working together. While there were some challenges faced by the relationship, the two countries had a lot to gain by working with each other.

The Ambassador shared with the audience extracts of several messages of felicitation received on Pakistan’s National Day from U.S. Senators, Congressmen, Governors, as well as state officials and other U.S. dignitaries.

The event was attended by a large gathering of over 500 guests from all walks of life including US Government, diplomatic corps of Washington D.C. as well as members of the Pakistani American diaspora. They were served with traditional Pakistani cuisine as well as Pakistani music.

Washington DC,
23 March 2018