MANCHESTER, March 28 (APP): A Pakistan Day reception was held at the Manchester Museum on Tuesday. The reception was co-hosted by the Consul General of Pakistan, Dr. Zahoor Ahmed and Director of Manchester Museum Dr. Nick Merriman and was attended by the Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Carl Austin, The Mayors of Oldham and Trafford, the Interim Mayor of Greater Manchester Tony Lloyd, Consuls General of Bangladesh and Iraq and a large numbers of guests from various walks of life.
Welcoming the guests, the Director of Manchester Museum, Dr. Nick Merriman said that Pakistan has rich and diverse culture and the Museum looks forward to displaying Pakistan’s heritage and the contributions of British Pakistanis towards British society in their forthcoming South Asia Gallery. He referred to his recent visit to Pakistan and expressed the desire to enhance collaboration with Pakistani institutions in this field.
The Lord Mayor of Manchester appreciated the choice of venue for holding a National Day reception and said that Pakistan is an important country of the world which has deep relations with UK. He said that Pakistani art and culture is an important part of British society. The Interim Mayor of Greater Tony Lloyd said that he believed that the Museum was a hidden gem which should be more promoted among the ethnic communities. He said that Pakistan had come a long way in economic development and the struggle against terrorism.
Thanking the guests for their arrival, the Consul General highlighted that Pakistani-UK relations were historic in origin but contemporary and alive due to our sharing of values and policies and the presence of large number of Pakistanis in UK. He said that this was the first time that the Manchester Museum was hosting a national day celebration. He thanked Dr. Nick Merriman for his efforts to make the Museum accessible to all and to work on projects to display the international character of Manchester City through the Museum. He also urged the Pakistani community to come forward and participate in the oral history of project of the Manchester Museum through which stories of migration and partition would be preserved for the coming generations. He said that it was appropriate that this reception was being held on the 70th Anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence.
On this occasion, the national anthems of both the countries were played and a documentary on Pakistan was screened. The Commercial Secretary Shoaib Zafar conducted the event.
APP/Zaheer/anm/VNS, Islamabad
