Japanese honour for educationist

Japanese Ambassador Matsuda Kuninori conferred ‘The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays’ upon Zafar Mahmood, visiting professor at the Department of Japanese Language, National University of Modern Languages (Numl) Islamabad, for promoting Japan-Pakistan relations.

The ceremony was held at the envoy’s residence with limited guests to witness the 2020 Autumn Imperial Decoration.

Ambassador Matsuda congratulated Mr Mahmood, saying language played an important role in bridging the gap among the nations and people while fostering mutual understanding of each other’s culture, values and traditions. He added: “It is heartening to say that the Japanese language is becoming increasingly popular in Pakistan like Urdu is in Japan. Surely this would pave the way for further consolidating people-to-people interactions.”

Zafar Mahmood said: “I pay my sincere gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor and the Government of Japan for honouring me with this prestigious award. I have a passion for teaching and transferring Japanese language skills to our younger generation.”

Mr Mahmood studied in the Nagoya University through a scholarship programme offered by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 1979 and lived in Japan for over 10 years. In 2000, he joined the MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan (MAAP) and has been working to promote educational exchanges between Japan and Pakistan.

Chinese New Year celebrations

Ambassador of China Nong Rong inaugurated the Chinese New Year celebrations at the Marriott Hotel, ushering in the Year of the Ox.

The hotel’s general manager, Maurizio Romani, hosted the pool-side reception with a lavish spread from Dynasty Restaurant.

The venue was lit up in red and gold, colours that abound at most Chinese holidays as they symbolise joy and good luck. Shimmering lanterns overhead set the mood as did traditional music playing in the background.

Young girls dressed in traditional Chinese attire welcomed guests while children of varying ages enthralled them with festive musical performances.

Guests enjoyed a classic Chinese buffet, offering signature items including roast duck, tiger prawns and a variety of seafood.

The Year of the Ox is said to signify wellness as the ox symbolises diligence, positivity and loyalty. Tradition says that the Ox will bring prosperity, success in business and career advancement.

The Chinese ambassador and Mr Romani cut a cake to celebrate the start of the new year.

German diplomats visit ICCI

German Ambassador Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck and German Economic Counsellor Christian Böttcher visited the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to interact with members of the business community.

Ambassador Schlagheck said the German investors were looking with interest towards Pakistan.

Responding to a proposal for potential opportunities of JVs and investment for German investors in CPEC, the German envoy said investment by local investors in CPEC would give more confidence to foreign investors.

He added that the economy of Pakistan was improving, however, Pakistan needed to focus on cohesive economic policies, improve tax regime to widen tax base and streamline lengthy litigation procedures to promote ease of doing business and attract more investment. He said that SMEs were the backbone of German economy and there was a need to develop close cooperation between the SMEs of both countries to strengthen bilateral business relations.

ICCI President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said Germany was an important trading partner for Pakistan with bilateral trade of over $3 billion, however, there was much more potential to increase trade volume given the size of both economies.

He also briefed the ambassador about the future plans of ICCI to organise various trade festivals and industrial exhibitions.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021