PAKİSTAN OBSERVER
Monday, July 22, 2013
The Embassy of Azerbaijan hosted Iftar dinner to the beneficiaries of Edhi Homes, on behalf of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, the First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO.
Addressing the gathering the Chief Guest Senator Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana spoke about Pakistan-Azerbaijan relations. He said Azerbaijan and Pakistan are two brotherly Muslim countries with unique commonalities of historical, religious and political nature. He was of theview that both countries have supported each other in every international forum.
Pakistan and the people of Pakistan can well understand and feel the pain of Azerbaijani people and sufferings of people of Nagorno-Karabakh because we are facing the bloodshed in Kashmir since the time of our inception in 1947.
He thanked First Lady of Azerbaijan for her gesture of love and respect to the people of Pakistan during the days of Holy month of Ramazan.
He highly appreciated the activity of Edhi Homes for the relief work within distressed areas in Pakistan and the rest of the world.
Guest of honor, Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah said on the occasion that Azerbaijan supported Pakistan’s position on Kashmir issue and Pakistan supported Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Pakistan has not yet recognized Armenia because of its aggression to the Azerbaijani people. He added that this has also resulted in the successful development of relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. They have been established on the ground of friendly and fraternal principles.
In his speech the Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy Mr. Ilham Mammadov said that Heydar Aliyev Foundation fulfills large scale projects in Azerbaijan and other countries of the world.
He mentioned that the foundation implemented number of projects in Pakistan as well: constructed the school in Muzaffarabad, conducted the hepatitis B vaccination program in Punjab and KPK, free treatment at Akbar Care Institute for Cerebral Palsy in Peshawar, open-heart surgeries at Kulsum International Hospital, contributed to Saif, Hamza and Khyber Eye foundations, as well as implemented number of humanitarian projects in all districts of Pakistan.
Paying tribute to the dedicated activity of Edhi Homes and its founder Abdul Sattar Edhi and his spouse Mrs. Bilquees, the diplomat said that the “”poor man’s van” of these great people has become a symbol of hope for all destitute around Globe”.
Mr. Mammadov underlined that Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy brotherly relations and stressed that they need to be further deepen. At the end Members of National Assembly Mr. Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry, Asiya Naz Tanoli and Muhammad Asif Noor, Director, Institute of Peace and Diplomacy also distributed gifts amongst the beneficiaries of Edhi Homes.
Gifts distribution ceremony was followed by dinner. The ceremony was a large gathering of media persons and representative of all segments of the society.
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