Members of Pakistani community living in Qatar recently hosted a farewell gathering in the honour of the outgoing ambassador of Singapore, Ambassador Wong Kwok Pun. In the reception hosted by the community at Shangri-La Hotel, Pakistani Ambassador Shahzad Ahmad praised the outgoing Singaporean ambassador for his work.
“It was a very warm relationship that we have enjoyed together. I must say that Ambassador Wong created a very strong bond with Pakistani community. He has been a very good friend and not just us, our spouses have been very close to each other. We would really miss them,” Ahmad told the audience.
“We wish that he would come back to Pakistan in future again. We enjoy such a strong bond,” added the ambassador. Ambassador Wong, Ambassador Ahmad said, was an experienced hand and the most seasoned diplomat — and this reflected in his work.
“My best wishes for him wherever he goes and he will always be welcome to my house whenever and wherever,” said the Pakistani ambassador.
Thanking the audience for the gesture, the outgoing Singaporean ambassador said he was happy to be with them here.
“Today I will not talk about politics. I think I have been here for three and half years and I have made many friends. I must say that we diplomats come and go but one thing that we do not see is the daily lives of people and it is always a curiosity and urge to know more,” he said, adding that it is community interactions like this that provides envoys with the perspective on people’s daily lives.
“Just a week ago, I was in denial and everything looked routine and normal but as the time for departure draws close, the nostalgia starts to sync in and that is how I am feeling right now, nostalgic,” said Ambassador Wong.
“I am sad to be leaving so many friends behind. I thank you all for this farewell and this nice gesture of taking time out and coming here to share it with us,” he added.
A number of senior Pakistani professionals and business community members attended the farewell, including renowned banker Chaudhary Mohammad Wasi, Saleem Bangash, Janan Bangash, Mohammad Riaz, Raja Tariq, Mohammad Ramzan Miya, Sqn Leader (Retd) Mohammad Mahboob, and others.
Other guests included Air Marshal Muhammad Basri Sidehabi, ambassador of Indonesia; Christophe Payot, ambassador of Belgium; Ignacio Escobar, ambassador of Spain; Heung-Kyeong Park, ambassador of South Korea; Ahmad Jazri Mohd Johar, ambassador of Malaysia; Prof Dr W M Karunadasa, ambassador of Sri Lanka; Aytug Fazil Plumer, Rep. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; Prof Dr Abdallah Baabood, director Gulf Studies, Qatar University; and Alex Willats, General Manager, Hotel Shangri-La.
Ashraf Siddiqui, a Pakistani community leader, also addressed the guests and welcomed them on joining the farewell lunch.
Siddiqui said that in spite of Pakistan’s support in war of terrorism to Nato and US-led forces in Afghanistan, there is still strong propaganda going against Pakistan on fight against terrorism. He said the world must realise that Pakistan is the country that has given most sacrifices in this war on terror.
“Pakistan is a country which is not only the host of millions of brotherly Afghan people for decades but also over 2.5 million Pakistanis who became IDPs due to the US-Afghan War. The world must recognise that we have suffered huge losses in this war but we continue to fight it,” he added.  A lunch was served to the guests after the speeches.