Danish Ambassador Rolf Michael Hay Pereira Holmboe hosted a lunch at his residence a week before his departure from Pakistan.

Ambassador Holmboe said: “Development builds on many things such as a society that is free, where you have all the basic freedoms, and the rule of law. You need a state that is working for and with its people. If you talk of development [in Denmark] the key thing that if you want to start a business, you can do so in one hour and you can do it online.

“If you need help to start up a business the state will give you monetary support, expert support through some programmes. Every month we help about 3,000 start-ups in Denmark get started. Much of it might falter but that doesn’t really matter. What becomes a success can become a massive success.”

He discussed Pakistan’s export potential and Denmark’s leading role in shipping, renewable energy, and pharmaceuticals amongst others.

He added: “Novo Nordisk, which was the first company to produce insulin in 1923, has been particularly supportive of diabetes-I patients in Pakistan. They organise big events, like cricket matches for children to teach them about healthy living. I was playing against Wasim Akram in one of these matches; his team won. We were each playing with a team of kids and he was playing with the youngest kids. The kids were very engaged, and I could see the skill with which they were playing.”

The lunch consisted of traditional European dishes made entirely with Pakistani ingredients.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2020