Pakistani, Indian envoys to UN honoured for peace efforts

Ambassadors of Pakistan and India to the United Nations (UN) were on Saturday honoured at an impressive function for their efforts to promote understanding and cooperation between the two South Asian neighbours.
The largely-attended event was organized by the New York chapter of Association of Indians in America (AIA), a grassroots organization of Indian Immigrants, to mark the festival of Diwali. Pakistan’s Abdullah Hussain Haroon and India’s Hardeep Singh Puri, who are close friends, were warmly cheered by guests when they were called to the podium to be witnesses of AIA’s award ceremony. The AIA’s “Silver Diwali Bright Light Award”, conferred on Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressmen Eliot Engel and Gregory Meeks, for their services to the Indian community, bears inscribed names of Ambassador Haroon and Ambassador Puri. An AIA leader Ravi Batra said the presence of the two ambassadors sent a message of “mutual respect and affection” that best personifies the message of Diwali. Speaking on the occasion, the Indian ambassador paid tribute to Haroon, saying as a diplomat he had strategic vision about how his country’s relations should be pursued with various countries. Puri said Haroon had served his country well and wished him all the best as he was to retire soon.
Both Haroon and Puri said they were dedicated to peace in the sub-continent. “Let us get together and solve our problems,” Ambassador Haroon told the mainly Indian audience. “Dialogue is imperative to finding a solution to the issues between India and Pakistan, including Kashmir,” Haroon added. In this context, he referred to the statement by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani in which he had called for demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier.