By Salman Siddiqui/Staff Reporter

Ambassador Syed Hassan Raza called on the Pakistani community in Qatar to build a positive image of their country by continuing to set high standards at their workplaces.
He was addressing a large gathering of the community at a Grand Iftar hosted by the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) at the Al-Arabi Sports club on Thursday evening.
“Each and every Pakistani in Qatar can play a huge role in building a positive image of Pakistan. All of you gathered here today should consider themselves as ambassadors of Pakistan. When you work hard and honestly here in Qatar, know that you are doing a great service to your country,” the ambassador said.
He lauded the services of the expat Pakistani community whose valuable remittances have a massive impact on Pakistan economy.
Since Ramadan was an occasion of brotherhood and friendship, he urged the Pakistan community to co-operate with each other and help one another, no matter if they were Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Pathan or Urdu speaking or belonged to a different sect. “At the end of the day we are all Pakistanis,” he said.
He also urged the community to build bonds of friendship and love with all the different communities and nationalities that they come across in Qatar.
The ambassador thanked HH the Emir, the RAF and officials of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) for their continued support and co-operation. A special memento was presented to Raza by RAF officials.
Pakistan embassy, which was a co-host of the event, had flown in a popular cleric from Lahore, Allama Hafiz Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer to address the gathering.
The cleric talked in detail about the virtues of holding fasts and saying prayers during Ramadan. He quoted numerous verses from the Holy Qur’an and mentioned examples of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions. He also urged the community to follow the laws of their host country since they were designed for their well being.
Ali al-Kuwari, head of public relations RAF, Dr Hani al-Tamimi, director of community service and MoI’s Traffic Awareness Officer Lt Abdul Wahid al-Anzi were among the special guests at the event.
Three participants were given prizes for providing the correct answers to questions related to the Holy Qur’an and Islamic history.