{"id":23151,"date":"2025-02-06T05:45:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T05:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/?p=23151"},"modified":"2025-02-06T05:45:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T05:45:35","slug":"sri-lanka-high-commission-celebrates-77th-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/?p=23151","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka High Commission Celebrates 77th Independence Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Islamabad : The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan hosted a grand reception to commemorate the 77th Independence Day of Sri Lanka. The event was graced by Mr. Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, who also holds the portfolio of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, as the Chief Guest. The guest was warmly welcomed by the Acting High Commissioner and the staff, along with a bagpipe band from the Pakistan Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extending warm congratulations on behalf of Pakistan, Chief Guest Minister Hussain emphasized the strong historical and economic ties between the two nations. He highlighted Sri Lanka\u2019s status as Pakistan\u2019s second-largest trading partner in South Asia and reiterated the commitment to strengthening economic cooperation under the Free Trade Agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also spoke about the close defence collaboration, Pakistan\u2019s role in Sri Lanka\u2019s human resource development through scholarships, and the shared cultural and religious heritage particularly Pakistan\u2019s custodianship of the Gandhara Civilization and Buddhist relics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing Sri Lanka\u2019s key role in reviving international cricket in Pakistan, he expressed gratitude for the strong people-to-people connections between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, A. Christy Ruban, delivered an inspiring address, highlighting Sri Lanka\u2019s journey since gaining independence on February 4, 1948. He reflected on the nation’s 2,500-year history, including 443 years of colonial rule, and acknowledged the resilience and strength of the Sri Lankan people in overcoming challenges and building a path toward progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Acting High Commissioner emphasized Sri Lanka\u2019s achievements in education and healthcare, noting that despite economic and social challenges, the country has maintained strong social indicators comparable to the developed world. He also shed light on the launch of the \u2018Clean Sri Lanka\u2019 Project on January 1, 2025, a visionary initiative introduced by the President of Sri Lanka. The project aims to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development, built on the principles of Environmental, Social, Governance, and Economic Sustainability (EESG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s longstanding relations with Pakistan were also a key focus of the speech. The Acting High Commissioner acknowledged the deep-rooted friendship between the two nations, which has strengthened over the decades through mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity in political, economic, cultural, and security matters. He expressed appreciation for Pakistan\u2019s unwavering support during Sri Lanka\u2019s post-conflict period, reaffirming the commitment to further enhancing bilateral ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event brought together diplomats, dignitaries, senior officials from Pakistan\u2019s three armed services, and members of the Sri Lankan community, reflecting the enduring bond between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This occasion also marked the raffle, and the winners were awarded round-trip tickets to visit Sri Lanka by Sri Lankan Airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concluding his remarks, A. Christy Ruban extended his heartfelt congratulations to Sri Lankan nationals residing in Pakistan, urging them to uphold the values of freedom, equality, and justice as they celebrate this momentous occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong live Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations,\u201d he declared, reinforcing the spirit of camaraderie and shared aspirations between the two nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad : The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan hosted a grand reception to commemorate the 77th Independence Day of Sri Lanka. The event was graced by Mr. Chaudhry Salik… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,4],"tags":[175,2339],"class_list":["post-23151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diplomacy","category-international","tag-sri-lanka","tag-sri-lanka-high-commission-islamabad"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23153,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23151\/revisions\/23153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofmelange.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}