Report : Tazeen AkhtarCamera : Ramzan Moghal
The traditional annual Orange Festival in historical city of Taxila at Zaildar House attracted a large number of foreign community living in Islamabad on 16 Feb 2025. Taxila having a heritage mainly of Buddhist civilization is among one of the oldest cities in the world seeking recognition from UNESCO.
On the occasion of 12th consecutive festival, Governor Punjab, Sardar Saleem Haider Khan was the chief guest. Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture Shazia Rizwan and Advisor on Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, Principal Secretary to PM Tauqeer Shah also attended the festival.
Ambassadors and diplomats from more than 50 different countries attended the festival. They included Ambassadors of Romania, Yemen, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, South Korea, Bosnia, Tajikistan, and diplomats of Nigeria, Egypt,Palestine, South Africa, Vietnam, Acting Ambassadors of USA , Indonesia, Sri Lanka were also present.
The Dean of COSA Islamabad Brigadier General Abu Rubel Md Shahabuddin, Defense Advisor of Bangladesh in Pakistan and Iran let the Defense Attaches to the festival and thus expressed his keen interest in Pakistani culture and traditions. He was accompanied by Defense Attaches of China, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia,Palestine, UAE and many other countries.
Governor Punjab, addressing the participants of the festival, said that it would help in highlighting the positive image of the country.The governor termed Pakistani culture the guarantor of the preservation of historical heritage.The governor noted that the Orange Festival has become synonymous with Taxila, much like the Gandhara heritage.
“The participation of ambassadors and diplomats of friend countries in the festival is a reflection of a successful foreign policy of Pakistan”, he said.
Governor noted that arrangement and organization of the festival will further promote friendly relations with brother countries. He also underlined that the diplomats of friendly countries would become aware of the historical culture of Taxila.
“Pakistan holds a unique position among the nations of the world in terms of cultural heritage and traditions”, he added
Ambassador of Yemen, Mohammed Motahar Alashabi and Dean of COSA Islamabad Brigadier General Abu Rubel Md Shahabuddin also addressed the guests and appreciated rich culture and hospitality of Pakistan.
Both , representing the diplomatic community hailed the efforts of Zaildar Ahsan Shah for highlighting right images of Pakistan. The dignitories commended the organizers for their efforts in hosting the event for 12 consecutive years, highlighting its significance in promoting Pakistan’s culture, history and people.
Mr. Ahsan Shah, in his welcome remarks shed light on the ancient heritage of Taxila city. He called on the international organizations working on preservation of heritage of thousands years including UNESCO to help Pakistan conserve this asset for next generations.
Traditional Taxila horse dance, weightlifting competition and qawali were presented at the festival. Locally manufactured handicrafts, stone decoration pieces, sculptures were displayed at stalls for the interest of the foreign guests.
Romania Pakistan Friendship Association set up a special stall to introduce Romania to the local guests. The host of the festival Mr. Ahsan Shah is the President of the association. Mr. Tayyab Chattha, Mr. Fayyaz Ms Farah Rani and Ali Butt looked after the stall where beautiful T-shirts with Romania inscribed , cups, diaries and pens were distributed among the guests.
Ambassador Romania Mr. Dan Stoenscu visited the stall and appreciated the enthusiasm of the members of the association in building relations between the people of two countries.
