Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Ali Javed, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Sultanate convened the inaugural meeting of Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) on Sunday.
The eight member CAC was launched on March 25, 2019, coinciding with the ‘corporate style’ reception for 500 guests to mark the National Day of Pakistan in March wholly supported by another platform established by the Ambassador called ‘Pakistan Day Partners’, a group of 14 small, medium, and large Pakistani businesses.
The CAC witnessed the induction of Asad Rahman (Gilgit Baltistan Community) and Qamar Riaz (Urdu Literature & Media), bringing its membership to perceived 10.
Speaking on the occasion, the Ambassador welcomed the CAC as ‘Ambassadors of Pakistan’s Diversity’ and expressed his confidence that the CAC would work in tandem with the Mission and deliver in areas of
respective domains in a transparent and efficient fashion to serve the quarter million citizens across the Sultanate.
The Ambassador informed that Zain Mughal, Founder & CEO of Seed Out has offered to connect with CAC through Seed Out Crowd Funding Program to alleviate the legal and administrative sufferings of Pakistani residents in distress. CAC welcomed the idea and concurred to link with health and life insurance companies for extending necessary coverage to blue collared Pakistani workforce in Oman.
Ali Javed praised CAC members Ameer Hamza and Qamar Riaz for their extraordinary efforts to ensure excellent arrangements for hosting the unprecedented ‘Pakistan Festival’, a fabulously diverse, absorbing and colourful, mega cultural Event organised by the Mission and wholly supported by numerous partners.
The CAC observed that the success and overwhelming popularity of ‘Pakistan Festival’ necessitated its organization on biannual basis and deemed to convene CAC Plenary meetings on quarterly basis. It supported linking with ‘Pakistan Day Partners’ to organize such mega public diplomacy events that project the true, positive and friendly image of rich Pakistani culture and translate the wishes of the diasporas.
The 10 Honorary Advisors are Prof. Michael Jansen (Heritage), Muhammad Ashraf (Community), Reverend Zeresh Daniel and Vinod Kumar Panjwani (Interfaith Harmony & Natl Integration), Mohammad Sheerani (Pashtun Baloch Community), Naseer Saleh Al Balushi (Baloch Community), Ikram Burney (Higher Education), Asad Rahman (Gilgit Baltistan) Ameer Hamza (Civil Society & Media) and Qamar Riaz (Urdu Literature & Media).
