Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said, at a ceremony to mark Nauroz at the UN, that the idea of Pakistan was born 77 years ago in 1940, a day after Nauroz.
Referring to Nauroz as a symbol of equality, manifested by the equal length of its day and night, the Pakistani envoy said this was the same spirit of equality on which the United Nations was founded.
Pakistan, she said, has now seen 70 springs, enjoying the fruits of freedom, growing from strength to strength, playing a key role in international peace and security and taking its rightful place in the international community.
Pakistan, she said, has always stressed the necessity of promoting civilizational exchanges, which promote harmony and foster international cooperation. “The positive energy from such exchanges help to influence and shape the course of our collective future”, she added.
UN Secretary General António Guterres and General Assembly President Peter Thomson attended and spoke at the ceremony as did the ambassadors of all the countries where Nauroz is celebrated, including Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, India and Central Asian Republics.
