ISLAMABAD: The German embassy commemorated the Day of German Unity with a grand event in the lawns of the Serena Business Complex. Teaming with guests from the diplomatic corps, government and bureaucracy and business communities, the Oct 3 celebration took place after a hiatus of two years.

Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was the chief guest of the evening.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sadiq said: “It is my privilege to be here and represent Pakistan at the German Unity Day.”

“I have had the honour of being closely associated with Germany. Germany has been a friend of Pakistan with economic relations and technical and financial assistance for decades.”

German Ambassador and the host of the evening Alfred Grannas said: “A very warm welcome from us. We are very happy to host you after two years and hope you enjoy the mix of German and Pakistani specialities.”

The impact of the pandemic notwithstanding the event had display stalls by German organisations who have been working in Pakistan for decades.

Sebastian Jacobi, director of the KfW Office, Pakistan, shared some of the amazing work the German development bank is doing in the energy, climate change, social health and infrastructure sectors and said they were planning some new projects around flood relief and rehabilitation.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation had brought their recent publications for young people on water, climate change, smart transport and traffic amongst others.

Tobias Becker, the country director of GIZ, said the organisation was a longstanding partner of Pakistan, adding that, “towards the end of last year, we had 60 years of development cooperation and 70 years of diplomatic relations.”

“Currently GIZ is supporting qualitative vocational education in fields like robotics, plumbing etc which are based on a system of accreditation and certification. We also focus on social protection, social health protection and climate resilience which is becoming increasingly important.”

The national anthems of the two nations were played live by two young musicians.

Representatives from Siemens were present as this year celebrates the company’s 175th anniversary globally and 100th anniversary in Pakistan and was a proud sponsor of the event.

Farhana Ilyas, a lawyer, said: “I’ve been associated with the German embassy for over 20 years. The event is fabulous but I am missing the German embassy gardens.”

Saniya Zehra, an interior designer, said: “I’ve attended the past four German Unity Days and they are always so welcoming for everybody.”

Support for flood-hit people

Relations between Pakistan and Germany are based on democratic values and multifaceted corporations, Ambassador of Germany Alfred Grannas said this in a conversation with National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the Parliament House on Monday as they discussed matters of common interest between the two countries.

He said parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation between National Assembly and German Parliament Bundestag could further strengthen existing bonds.

The NA speaker, while highlighting the calamitous effects of climate change in Pakistan remarked that the recent flooding has submerged one-third of the country and left more than 33 million Pakistanis homeless.

In this regard, the NA has moved an emergency resolution in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Rwanda to request developed nations of the world to compensate for irreversible losses due to the climate crisis in developing countries like Pakistan.

The German ambassador expressed his solidarity with those who lost their homes and assured his support to the NA’s call for the global fund through IPU to tackle the climate crisis.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2022