US Senator Chris Van Hollen has conveyed warm greetings to the people of Pakistan and the Pakistani-American community on Pakistan Day, reaffirming his dedication to further strengthening relations between Washington and Islamabad.
“Hi, I’m Chris Van Hollen and I represent the great state of Maryland in the United States Senate. I’m pleased to wish all of you a very happy Pakistan Day,” said Senator Van Hollen in a video message shared on Saturday.
“Throughout my life, I’ve experienced the generosity and the warmth of the Pakistani people, and throughout the United States, the Pakistani American community has made enormous contributions to our country in every field of endeavour,” he added reflecting on his personal connection with the Pakistani people.
He concluded his message by expressing optimism for the future of bilateral relations, saying: “I look forward to doing my part to continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of our two great countries. Again, Happy Pakistan Day.”
The nation is celebrating Pakistan Day with patriotic zeal and fervour with Aiwan-e-Sadr hosting the iconic military parade to commemorate the 1940 Lahore Resolution which provided a framework for the realisation of the goal of a separate homeland for Muslims of South Asia.
President Asif Ali Zardari is the chief guest of this year’s Pakistan Day parade, also attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, services chiefs and other dignitaries, which is being held at Aiwan-e-Sadr instead of the Shakarparian Parade Ground — which traditionally hosts the parade.
The day began with a 31-gun and 21-gun salute in the federal capital and provinces, respectively.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, amid much-hyped speculations concerning possible travel restrictions by President Donald Trump’s administration, the US State Department ruled out the existence of any travel ban list.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce’s rebuttal comes days after a draft list emerged provisioning the names of 41 countries — including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and others — divided into three separate groups which would be subjected to varying degrees of travel restrictions.
In the list, as per the memo seen by Reuters, Pakistan was included in a group that would be considered for a partial suspension of visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”.
The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.
In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.
In the third group, a total of 26 countries including Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments failed to address relevant deficiencies within 60 days.
