Pakistan Day 2016 celebration in Lotte Hotel, Seoul

Pakistan Ambassador to Korea, Mr. Zahid Nasrullah Khan and Korea’s Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Her Excellence Kang Eun Hee honor the national flags of Korea and Pakistan as the national anthems of both countries play in the background turn by turn. (Photo: Rahul Aijaz)

March 23 marks the Pakistan Resolution Day. It was 76 years ago, in 1940, that the Lahore Resolution was passed, which eventually led to the independence of Pakistan seven years later. A national holiday in Pakistan, it is celebrated with vigor and a patriotic enthusiasm prevailing all around the country.

As I reside in Seoul, I got an opportunity to attend the reception given by Pakistan Embassy in honor of the Pakistan Resolution Day at Lotte Hotel on March 23, 2016. The reception was hosted by Pakistan Ambassador to Korea, Mr. Zahid Nasrullah Khan who welcomed everyone and wished a bright future of further collaborations and friendly relations with Korea and Pakistan. Korea’s Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Her Excellency Kang Eun Hee appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in women empowerment and emphasized women’s role in the development of nation.  The minister also conveyed a congratulatory message by former Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, who visited Pakistan in April 2014, that called for stronger ties between the two countries.

National anthems of Korea and Pakistan were played and honored by the Pakistan Ambassador, Mr. Khan, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Her Excellency Kang Eun Hee and all the guests.

The cake-cutting ceremony followed and subsequently, traditional Pakistani food was served to guests. A number of Pakistani traditional bracelets were for sale. One side of the hall was decorated with traditional carpets from Pakistan, with intricately designed embroidery patterns, giving the non-Pakistani guests as well as Pakistani expats yearning for a taste of home, a classic Pakistani experience in Seoul.

(Photographs by Rahul Aijaz)

Pakistan Day reception at Lotte Hotel, Seoul on March 23, 2016.

A view of intricately designed Pakistani embroidered carpets at Pakistan Day reception at Lotte Hotel, Seoul on March 23, 2016.

Pakistan Ambassador to Korea, Mr. Zahid Nasrullah Khan welcomes the guests at Pakistan Day reception at Lotte Hotel, Seoul on March 23, 2016.

Cake-cutting ceremony at Pakistan Day reception at Lotte Hotel, Seoul on March 23, 2016.