ISLAMABAD, Jun 8 (APP):The British Queen’s Elizabeth II Birthday and Platinum Jubilee celebrations started at the British High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday (tonight).
The event was hosted by British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner, in Islamabad and was attended by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif as chief guest and other senior ministers, foreign dignitaries, and celebrities.
Addressing the audience, High Commissioner reminded guests of Her Majesty’s life dedicated to service during the ceremony.
He said, “Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years of servant leadership show a remarkable record of integrity, hard work, and selflessness needed more than ever today. We are honored to celebrate her Birthday, her Platinum Jubilee, and 75 years of deep UK-Pakistan relations.”
She worked hard for “the promotion of the peace, the encouragement of education and culture, and establishing tolerant society,” High Commissioner added.
He said around 54% of Pakistan’s 220 million people are under 24 years old.
“We need to ensure we support their dreams and aspirations, adding that last year alone, the British High Commission granted 10,000 student visas to the young Pakistani generation”.
The High Commissioner said Pakistan and the UK have a shared history, and both countries are marking 75 years of the UK and Pakistan relationship.
He also underlined Pakistan and the UK’s 75-year partnership – our people-to-people links, a 1.6 million Pakistani diaspora in the UK, 500,000 approximate annual visits in both directions, and around 100,000 British nationals in Pakistan
The UK wants to work with Pakistan, support a robust local economy, doubling trade by 2025, and the UK is already the third-largest trading partner of Pakistan, he added.
He further stated that last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the phone and welcomed the United Kingdom and Pakistan’s strong partnership over the past 75 years.
They agreed to strengthen those ties further and boost trade and investment.
It is pertinent to mention here that it was the first in a series of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee week, which will also see birthday events in Karachi and Lahore – the latter closing with a performance from Qawwali singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
The events across the world have been marking Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and her 70 years of service to the people of the UK, the Realms, and the Commonwealth. It is also the year marking 75 years of Pakistan and the UK’s bilateral relationship.
As part of the Platinum Jubilee on the weekend of June 4-5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the British High Commission, lit a beacon to celebrate the occasion at the same time as it was done in the Commonwealth capitals.
The Pakistan Monument in Islamabad was lit up tonight (Wednesday) in purple, the color of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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