First ever Pakistani food and cultural gala week in the European Parliament, organised by the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels, has been launched with huge success.
According to a message received here on Thursday, the opening ceremony of the gala was attended by more than 500 participants comprising mainly vice presidents, members of European Parliament, senior officials of European Commission, European Council and External Action Service, ambassadors, academics, businessmen and media.
The event, organised by the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels and co-hosted by MEP from UK Amjad Bashir, represents the culture and economic development of Pakistan through a display of art, crafts, dresses and photographs of all the provinces and regions of Pakistan. Documentaries on the socio-economic development of Pakistan introduced the bright face of emerging Pakistan to the participants of the event.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, European Union and Luxembourg Mrs Naghmana Alamgir Hashmi and Pakistani origin members of European Parliament Amjad Bashir, Sajjad Karim, Wajid Khan and Baroness Naushina Mubarik, introduced various facets of Pakistan, not only as a country full of scenic beauty and hospitable people but also as a country having huge potential for trade and investment.
Six separate corners have been set up depicting the culture of provinces and regions which attracted the attention of participants. A stall of henna and bangles for ladies remained very popular among the women so was the stall for inscribing names of participants in Urdu.
The display of books on heritage and tourism of Pakistan such as on churches, Sikh and Hindu heritage drew attention and appreciation of the participants. The folk and classical tunes were played on Sitar and Tabla by Belgian artists Arnaud Eurine and Carlo Santanze.
The participants were of the view that it was one the rarest events in the European Parliament with such a large scale projection of any country. They were able to capture glimpses of Pakistan and getting introduced to an entirely different face of Pakistan than the existing misperceptions about the country. The participants also relished Pakistani food comprising Pulao, chicken curry, seikh kebabs, chicken choley, mixed vegetables, naans and traditional sweets.
