The Constitution Day and National Day of Nepal celebration together in Islamabad on 20th Sep 2023 proved to be the most well attended event in which colors of the Himalayan state enthralled the guests and left their pleasant impacts that would last through the whole year till the next celebration. Mr. & Mrs. Tapas Adhikari, the Ambassador and staff filled the hearts with joy by hosting such a magnificent reception that attracted many highly placed dignitaries to grace the event with their presence.
Chief Guest Caretaker Federal Minister Muhammad Sami Saeed, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative, Senator – Chairman Defense Committee of Senate Mushahid Hussain Syyed spoke very highly on cordial relations with Nepal and, how keen is Pakistan to enhance the cooperation in all spheres.
Former Minister Climate Change Sherri Rehman, former Minister for Defence Production Sardar Muhammad Isran Tareen, former Minister of State foreign affairs Malik Amad Khan,
Senator Shahzad Wasim, Leader of opposition in the Senate, Senator Danish Kumar were prominent among the parliamentarians and government officials who were present at the occasion.
Dean of diplomatic corp, Ambassador Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov, Ambassador of European Union , High Commissioner of Canada , Charge d Affairs of India, envoys and Defense Attaches of Central Asia, South Asia, ASEAN countries also participated in the celebration.
H.E. Mr. Tapas Adhikari, Ambassador, in his welcome address shed light on the history of the 9th Constitution Day and National Day.
He said that the celebration marks the promulgation of our Constitution drafted by an inclusive body of elected representatives of the Constituent Assembly on 20 September 2015.
He shared salient features of the constitution as the constitution envisages the principles of democracy, human rights, peace, progress, prosperity with equality and equity. The Nepali social contract has all features of modern democracy with the provisions of human rights with inclusiveness in its heart. The constitution has ensured the participation of women, marginalized group and other minority in the decision making process. One third of parliamentary and provincial assemblies’ seats are reserved for women to enhance their participation in the public life.
Republican system of Governance, federation of provinces have increased the peoples’ participation in the Government and in the decision-making process. The constitution has vision to end all kind of disparity and to achieve sustainable peace, good governance, development, and prosperity through the federal, democratic, republican, system of governance.
Nepal attaches high importance to this day in her history and celebrates it as both Constitution and National Day of Nepal. Nine years after the promulgation of the Constitution, the foundation laid by this Constitution is getting stronger towards fulfilling the aspirations of Nepali people. Under the provisions of the constitution, first elected parliament has completed its five-year term and now second parliament has been working after the general election in November 2022. Similarly, provincial governments and local governments are also working to fulfill peoples’ aspiration of peace, progress and prosperity with equity and equality.
Ambassador, shared his views on relations with Pakistan as ;
The relations between Nepal and Pakistan are marked by friendship, cordiality and cooperation. The establishment of diplomatic relations in 1960 further strengthened the bond of friendship and cooperation. As a founder members of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), both countries have full faith on the principles of SAARC.
Nepal and Pakistan have full faith in the principles and objectives of United Nations and have been working together in various bilateral, regional and multilateral forums to promote global peace and development. Both countries are working together in the agenda of sustainable development, climate change and environment protection.
Bilaterally, Nepal and Pakistan have been extending their support to each other. Even during the difficult time of the COVID pandemic, Nepal and Pakistan continued their cooperation. The cooperation continued during the times of disasters, whether it is the earthquake in Nepal or the floods in Pakistan.
Pakistan has been a destination for Nepali students for higher studies. Under PTAP, many Nepali students are studying in Pakistan in particular in the field of medical science and engineering. The link of these students is strong now as they serve Nepal in different capacities after their academic sessions. We are grateful to the Government of Pakistan for this important cooperation.
Our business relations are also expanding and increasing over the years. We have to work together to bring them back to track after the COVID pandemic hurt them and work together to expand them further.
Nepal is a hub of mountain and adventure tourism. A large number of people including Pakistani people visits Nepal for mountaineering, trekking and other adventure activities. Nepal’s unique culture, people, food and hospitality have placed Nepal in the global tourism map. Tourism industry is recovering after the setback of COVID and now it is fully open to welcome our guests for adventure tourism, to see the beauty of the land and to taste the hospitality of Nepal since it has best hospitality industry in South Asia.
Mr. Sami Saeed, Federal Minister paid rich tributes to the resilience of the people of Nepal for the protection of their rights and reshaping the constitution according to their aspirations in 2015. He appreciated the spirit of the nation that helped maintain rule of law and adoption of democratic process in their country.
“Pakistan and Nepal enjoy close and cordial relations of continued, consistent contacts and traditions of mutual respect spanned on 6 decades. Both countries are cooperating with each other in all sectors including trade, tourism,education, culture etc. Pakistan is keen to enhance the bilateral cooperation in multiple spheres for the well being of the people of both nations. Both countries have beautiful landscapes, highest mountains, lush green planes that indicate the great potential of cooperation in tourism sector. Both are affected by the impacts of climate change. Therefore we can learn from the experiences of each other.”
The Minister wished the best to Nepalese nation and the government and expressed his desire to work for the bright future of the people of both states.
Mr. Mushahid Hussain Sayyed spoke very high about his deep observations on Nepal. He said, “Nepal is our time tested close friend in South Asia. Nepal has proved that size does not matter but the strength matters. This is a lesson and role model for others. Nepal has transited from one phase to another not once but many times with success. For example, from civil war to peace, from dictatorship to democracy, from unitary form of gov to federal republic etc.”
He recalled when Prime Minister Madhav Kumar called cabinet meeting at the base camp of Mount Everest on the agenda of climate change in Dec 2009 to highlight the negative impacts of global warming.
Mushahid Hussain Sayyed is the only parliamentarian, think tank in Pakistan who have traveled more than any other to Nepal that is 25 times. His observation on Nepal can not be challenged. He cherished his memories of the visits to Nepal with the guests in the reception.
He said, I first visited Nepal in 1985 in connection with SAARC meeting. I went there when Nepal was facing the illegal blockade in 2015 (by India). I met Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ there and expressed solidarity with Nepal.”
Mushahid attracted the attention of the ladies present in the reception by sharing his observation of women empowerment in Nepal. He shared that when he visited Nepal in 2015, the President , Speaker of the Parliament and Chief Justice were all ladies. He concluded his address on the expression of best wishes for the peaceful and prosperous Nepal.
As long as women empowerment or inclusiveness is concerned, the Day of Nepal was portraying a picture of that as well. The envoys of Eu, Canada, India, Bulgaria, Philippines present there were all women. The reception’s colors were depicting the aesthetic sense of the ladies of the Nepal embassy including the spouses of the Ambassador and Defense Attache.
Tazeen Akhtar
