Pakistani community honours Belgian envoy

A number of prominent members of the Pakistani community hosted a farewell dinner in honour of the outgoing Belgian ambassador Christophe Payot. Present on the occasion were ambassadors of Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Palestine, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Canada’s charge d’affaires, and business professionals. Longtime Qatar resident and 105-year-old Pakistani national AlHaj Mohamed Din was the guest of honour. Pakistan’s Olympic gold medal winning hockey legend Khalid Hamid and renowned Filipino artist Gordon Lee were special guests. Pakistani community leaders Rana Anwar Ali (chairman, Sohni Dharti, Al Khor Pakistani Community), Dr Tariq Masud (chairman, Pakistani Community Dukhan), engineer Arshad Hussain (Pakistan Welfare Forum) and Mohamed Atiq (chairman, Majlis e Frog-e-Urdu Adab Qatar) attended. The event was organised by community leader Saleem Bangash and Pakistani journalist Ashraf Siddiqui. Ambassador Payot congratulated the Pakistani community on its 70th Independence Day falling on August 14. He recalled his first posting of his career as a junior diplomat in Pakistan, which he regarded as most memorable.