Friends host dinner in Ambassador Salman Athar’s honour

ABU DHABI: Friends and community members hosted a dinner in honour of Salman Athar, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Lebanon, in the UAE capital.

Salman Athar made a short stopover in Abu Dhabi while on his way to Pakistan from Beirut.

Ambassador Salman Athar has served in important positions in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in addition to performing diplomatic services in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Sultanate of Oman.

He also served in the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi for 16 years and therefore, is popular in the community in the UAE, where he has a wide circle of friends with whom he keeps in constant touch.

The dinner, arranged at a local restaurant, was intended to bring together Salman Athar’s old friends in the UAE.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, who also attended the dinner, has also performed diplomatic services at the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in the past.

While everyone who attended the dinner refreshed old memories, they also missed old friends Izhar Haider, Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Haji Ishaq and Jameeluddin Hassan. They prayed that Allah may raise the ranks of all these departed friends.

Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique, former president of Pakistan Center, prominent physician Dr Talat Mehmood Butt, Tariq Mahmood, Abdul Hadi Achakzai, Javed Rashid Malik, Mian Amjad Javed, Umar Abbas Gondal, Dr Muhammad Javed, Chaudhry Muhammad Asjad, Farman Haider, Imtiaz Khattak, Sibte Arif, Chaudhry Arshad Hussain, Raja Muhammad Irfan, and others were also present on the occasion.

Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique became emotional while talking about the love and memories of his friends.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Tirmizi said, “I have done diplomatic service in many countries, but I got full support from friends and community of Abu Dhabi.”

Salman Athar said that it felt good to refresh memories with old friends and have a get-together.

“As a diplomat, I have been trying my best to make the diplomatic and economic relations between Lebanon and Pakistan stronger and stronger,” he said.

“Allah Almighty has made me successful as an ambassador in Lebanon. The trade with Pakistan has increased to 32 percent.”

He invited the Pakistani community members to come to Lebanon and do trade. “The Embassy of Pakistan will provide you full guidance and facilitation,” he said.

He thanked all friends for hosting him and for showing love and affection.

In the end, the host Sohail Khawar thanked Ambassadors Salman Athar and Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, and the participants of the event.