A two-day festival, under the aegis of the Pakistan embassy , was organised to celebrate Pakistan Day at the Pakistan Education Centre, Doha on March 22 & 23. A number of stalls offering food, clothes, jewellery and handicrafts were set up on the football ground of the PEC. Ambassador Mohamed Sarfraz Ahmad Khanzada, the chief guest inaugurated the festival. He and the guests of honour were welcomed by the Principal Nargis Raza Otho. Khanzada, accompanied by embassy officials, members of the board of governors, principals of Pakistani schools and guests, visited all the stalls. Students from all four Pakistani schools performed in a variety show on both days. The items included regional dances, folk songs and national songs which portrayed the various features of the culture of Pakistan. The students of PEC highlighted the history and the sacrifices made by the forefathers for the cause of Pakistan, and the audience appreciated the talent and skill of the children.Renowned ‘Naat Khuwan” Junaid Jamshed paid a visit to the festival as the guest of honour . In his address to the gathering, he expressed his happiness at being able to join the Pakistan Day celebrations in Qatar.He urged elders and parents to set the best example for the children. He also called upon his compatriots to love their country. “If we do not love our country and are not united as a nation, we will fall prey to racism and provincialism which would bring about our downfall. As expatriates, we should uphold the honour and dignity of Pakistan. We should discourage those elements who want to give a bad name to our nation,” he said.
Jamshed ended his address by singing a few lines from his repertoire of national songs.The Ambassador later thanked the guest of honour for finding time to visit the Pakistan Day festival at the school. The festival offered two days of fun-filled activities and visitors enjoyed a variety of food, dresses and jewellery available at the venue. Besides the Pakistani community, people from other nationalities also visited the festival and enjoyed eating Pakistani food and buying the products.