The Embassy of Pakistan celebrated the Independence Day with traditional zeal and fervour earlier today with presence of over 100 members of Pakistani diaspora, majority of whom were women & children adorned in traditional dresses.

The event opened with the recitation of Quranic verses by Shaheed Ismail Haniyeh followed with the hoisting of National Flag performed by the children in company of the Ambassador Mr. Ali Javed.

The Ambassador presented the messages on the occasion from the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan in Urdu language and reaffirmed Pakistan’s diplomatic, political and moral support for the oppressed peoples of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine in their longstanding legitimate struggle for self-determination as per UNSC resolutions.

The Ambassador in his address, praised the remarkable contributions by Pakistanis in Italy and highlighted the near one billion dollar record remittance in 2024 maintaining the three year trend of unprecedented volumes. He added that also since 2021, Pakistani exports to Italy have soared to unprecedented levels of over $1.2Bn making Italy the seventh top destination on both counts for the third consecutive year.

On the occasion the Embassy announced the winners of the Iqbal sketch competition organized by the Embassy. Coming in first and second places are Amna Bibi and Zainab Zia respectively.

The 300,000 Pakistanis in Italy are ranked as number one largest Pakistani community across 46 European states, whereas there are in excess of 3500 students pursuing higher studies in Italy.

Pakistan Embassy Rome,
14 August 2024