Aziz Boolani and his wife hosted a dinner for the outgoing Spanish ambassador Javier Carbajosa and the Egyptian smbassador Said Hindam in Islamabad this week.

“It couldn’t have been done in more elegant and pleasant style. But then that is easy enough for the chief executive of the Serena Hotels in Pakistan and Central Asia. The elegant rooms are there and the chefs and waiters do their utmost when the chief is the host,” said a foreign guest.

“Yet, the genuine friendliness of the Boolanis has little to do with being professional. That comes from the heart,” she added.

A few days earlier, Irshadullah Khan and his wife hosted a large dinner on the top floor of the Serena Hotel to bid farewell to five ambassadors and their wives and to honour several Pakistani generals and other local and foreign dignitaries.

“Often, I chair meetings for the Oxbridge Society, but this time, it was my pleasure to host an event in my own capacity with my wife,” said Irshadullah Khan, a businessman and philanthropist in Islamabad.

“In the last three years, I have been particularly concerned about the difficult situation in North Waziristan, and I have provided assistance to needy people in the area,” he said in his speech, adding that it is a privilege to help.

Irshadullah Khan also drew attention to the turbulence in Iraq and Iran, indeed the danger of ISIS worldwide. He gave tribute to the important work of Pakistan’s armed forces.

“I am glad that private Pakistanis hold gatherings for envoys, and its not only the other way around,” said a senior Pakistani guest.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2015

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