{"id":62251,"date":"2026-04-16T11:53:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/?p=62251"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:53:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:53:58","slug":"irelands-st-patricks-day-reception-in-islamabad-strengthens-pakistan-ireland-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/2026\/04\/16\/irelands-st-patricks-day-reception-in-islamabad-strengthens-pakistan-ireland-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s St. Patrick\u2019s Day Reception in Islamabad strengthens Pakistan-Ireland ties"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u00a0Pakistan President Extends Warm St. Patrick\u2019s Day Greetings to Ireland<\/p>\n

Naveed Ahmad Khan\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Photos by Sultan Bashir \u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Ireland in Islamabad marked St. Patrick\u2019s Day with a reception held at the Serena Hotel, bringing together members of the diplomatic community, government officials, and other distinguished guests. The event was attended by several distinguished personalities, including Chief Guest Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, alongside members of the diplomatic corps and civil society representatives.<\/p>\n

\"\"The event held in honour of Ireland\u2019s National Day provided a meaningful opportunity to advance bilateral ties and celebrate the longstanding cultural connections between the two countries. Ireland\u2019s Ambassador to Pakistan, Mary O\u2019Neill, welcomed guests and reflected on Ireland\u2019s shared historical experiences of colonisation, conflict, and poverty, noting how these have shaped the country\u2019s commitment to the United Nations Charter and the promotion of human rights globally.<\/p>\n

\"\"Speaking at the occasion, the Ambassador acknowledged Pakistan\u2019s role in promoting peace and dialogue, paying tribute to the government\u2019s recent efforts in mediation. She echoed the sentiments of Ireland\u2019s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, who has commended Pakistan\u2019s contributions towards peace building. The Ambassador also highlighted Ireland\u2019s longstanding engagement with the European Union, noting that over 50 years of EU membership has contributed significantly to peace and prosperity in Ireland. She further shared that Ireland will hold the Presidency of the European Union from July this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"The event was attended by a number of prominent figures, including Chief Guest Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, along with members of the diplomatic corps and civil society. The reception marked Ireland\u2019s national day and served as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties and celebrate cultural connections between Ireland and Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\"\"Meanwhile\u00a0\u00a0: President Asif Ali Zardari extended his warm felicitations to the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, and to the people of Ireland on the occasion of St. Patrick\u2019s Day. In a message on St. Patrick\u2019s Day observed on March 17, he said, \u201cThis day carries deep meaning for people in Ireland and for Irish communities around the world. It is a time to celebrate history, faith and traditions, and to uphold values of peace, forgiveness and generosity. Across the globe, many join in the celebration, sharing in the spirit of this day.\u201d \u201cWhile this day is marked by music, festivity and the warmth of Irish traditions, we must also remember that the world beyond our celebrations is marked by sorrow and suffering,\u201d he said adding, \u201cAcross West Asia, hundreds of thousands of families are living through death, destruction and devastation by the war imposed on them while their homes, places of work and agricultural fields are destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe story of Saint Patrick himself is not only one of faith but of transformation, healing and reconciliation. Saint Patrick, who knew incarceration and hardships, also returned with a message of forgiveness and hope rather than revenge.\u201d \u201cIn these troubling times, his legacy tells us that the true test of humanity is not how fiercely we fight, but how courageously we pursue peace. May this day inspire us to renew our commitment to compassion, dialogue, diplomacy and the dignity of every human life.\u201d he remarked. He said Pakistan and Ireland share a commitment to multilateralism and peace. Relations between our countries are built on mutual respect and common values of peace and prosperity for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am confident that the friendship between our countries will continue to grow and I convey my best wishes to the President of Ireland and the Irish people for a joyous St. Patrick\u2019s Day,\u201d he concluded. $<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Pakistan President Extends Warm St. Patrick\u2019s Day Greetings to Ireland Naveed Ahmad Khan\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Photos by Sultan Bashir \u00a0 ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Ireland in Islamabad marked St. Patrick\u2019s Day with a reception held at the Serena Hotel, bringing together members of the diplomatic community, government officials, and other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[630],"class_list":{"0":"post-62251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-diplomats","8":"tag-irelands-st-patricks-day-reception-in-islamabad"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62251"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62257,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251\/revisions\/62257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyspokesman.net\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}