Report : Tazeen Akhtar | Camera : Raja Ghulam Farid
Ethiopia is the place where you are younger than your age in your country and in the rest of the world. It is not a big deal to reach Addis Ababa the Heart of Ethiopia. Direct flight is available from Karachi ! Catch it and you will be younger 7 years in less than 7 hours !
Ethiopia Embassy in Islamabad celebrated the Ethiopian New Year ENKUTATASH on 10 Sep 2026 BUT it is the start of 2019 in this emerging economy of East Africa.
The celebration also marked Hibir Ken (Unity in Diversity Day) with the national zeal and fervor under the theme “Diversity: Ethiopia’s Adornment.”
The celebrations brought together diplomatic corps, Parliamentarians, government officials, the business community, media, civil society, and members of the Ethiopian community in Pakistan.
Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister of Pakistan for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, graced the occasion as chief guest. The spokesperson to the President of Pakistan, Murtaza Saolangi, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Advisor and National Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Tourism, Ambassador Hamid Asghar Khan, Additional Secretary (Africa), attended as guests of honor. Honorary Consul of the FDR Ethiopia in Karachi,Mr. Ibrahim Khalid Tawab was also present.
Ambassadors and diplomats of Morocco, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Tunis from Africa were also present. Ambassadors of Russia, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Japan, Kyrgyz Republic also participated in the celebration.
H.E. Dr. Oumer Hussien Oba, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, welcomed the guests and extended Ethiopian New Year greetings to all guests presenting them Adey Abeba flower, the yellow beautifully packed flower, that can be seen on the welcome wall and in the hands of the guests.
Ambassador, in his welcome address highlighted the significance of Enkutatash, marked by the blooming of the Adey Abeba flower, and noted that Ethiopia is the only African nation never colonized, with its own Ge’ez calendar and alphabet.
He said the New Year’s message of hope, resilience, and a bright future mirrors the growing Ethiopia-Pakistan relationship, strengthened by Pakistan’s Look Africa and Engage Africa policies and joint economic and environmental efforts.
He thanked Dr. Musadik for his unwavering support and then formally invited Pakistan to support Ethiopia’s hosting of COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027, calling for stronger climate cooperation for the Global South.
The Ambassador also paid tribute to Ambassador Hamid Asghar Khan on his retirement, thanking him for his role in strengthening Pakistan-Africa and Ethiopia-Pakistan relations and wishing him success ahead.
The Federal Minister Dr. Musadik Masood Malik extended the Ethiopian New Year greetings and praised Ethiopia for its economic and green transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
He recalled his participation in the celebrations in the Ethiopian New Year during his stay in Chicago where he lived with his Ethiopian friend, calling the people of Ethiopia lovely and its culture absolutely vibrant. He admired the people of Ethiopia as their friendship is deep and sincere.
Minister spoke very highly about the transformation of Ethiopia from a difficult time in 80s to a rapidly developing country. He recalled , we would discuss the bad state of affairs in Ethiopia and were very concerned. Then we saw the change, Green Revolution and we observed a transformation that has not other parallel in the history of the world.
He, especially mentioned the Ethiopian Coffee as the best coffee in the world and asked the Ambassador not to let any pause in the supply of this coffee in Pakistan.
Here it is worth mentioning that a restaurant ” Habesha” offering Ethiopian Coffee has been opened in Bahria Town Phase 7. Mr. and Mrs. Naeem Hashmi have refreshed the memories of Habesha in the shape of a Cafe at Bahria Town Phase 07 to offer the best coffee in the world, the Ethiopian Coffee with fusion of Ethiopian and Pakistani taste and environment. Naeem is married to Ethiopian lady and have two kids from her.
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan appreciated the growing bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Pakistan, reiterating his commitment to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation across various sectors. He said, direct flight has accelerated the cooperation in trade and tourism. Bilateral trade has been enhanced after the establishment of direct connectivity. Pakistan is keen to increase cooperation with Ethiopia in all sectors.
Hamid Asghar Khan remained a focused personality in the event for his contributions to enhancing relations, contacts, knowledge and cooperation between Africa including Ethiopia and Pakistan. Ambassador presented him the traditional armour of his country.
Hamid , on lighter note, said , now I am prepared for the next phase of my life.
Hamid shared his next venture of joint parntership in health care sector between Pakistan and East Africa starting from the center Addis Ababa of Ethiopia for which the preparations have been completed and it is being luanched soon.
Ethiopia serves as a major infrastructure and connectivity hub in East Africa, spanning transport, aviation, energy, and digital networks.
Road Network: Ethiopia holds the longest road network in East and Central Africa, measuring roughly 180,000 kilometers, which ranks third on the continent behind South Africa and Nigeria.
Trade Corridors: Strategic railway and highway corridors connect Addis Ababa to ports in neighboring Djibouti, lowering regional logistics and trade costs.
Ethiopian Airlines: Operating as Africa’s largest and most successful carrier, it links the continent directly to global markets.
Bishoftu International Airport: Construction is underway on a massive $12.5 billion airport project near Bishoftu (45 km from Addis Ababa) designed to eventually handle up to 110 million passengers annually, cementing Ethiopia’s status as a premier African aviation gateway.
Fiber Corridors: Ethiopia relies on tens of thousands of kilometers of terrestrial fiber and advances initiatives like the Horizon Fiber Corridor to link East Africa to the Red Sea with multi-terabit capacity, bypassing traditional coastal constraints.
Energy Sufficiency and Export Corridors : Ethiopia leads the EAPP Council of Ministers, driving regional energy integration.The country actively supplies cross-border electricity to neighboring nations including Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, and Sudan.
Ethiopia ( formerly Habesha because most we know and respect for Habesha – King Nejashi – Migration of Muslims on the direction of Prophet Mohammad PBUH and having refuge their when the Quresh of Makkah left no option for them than to migrate and escape their cruelties )
Finally, Ethiopia is the gateway of Africa for Pakistan and the people of Pakistan can change their perception about this country. Ethiopia is not the Ethiopia of 80. It is state of the art state of today as is the continent , the continent of today.
