Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif holds a welcoming ceremony in Islamabad for the renowned Chinese artist and sculptor Master Yuan Xikum on today’s date. Madame Mao Xiaoqing, niece of Chairman Mao Zedong, also attended the meeting.
This occasion also marked a special ceremony for Master Yuan’s sculptures of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Chairman Mao Zedong, as it was built around their birthdays- with that of the former being December 25 and the latter December 26.
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From the very outset, the Prime Minister welcomed Master Yuan with warmness and gratitude; appreciating the precious sculptural works and yet paying tribute to his incredible craftsmanship, the Prime Minister remarked, “This ceremony is historic.” “The history is being made today with the unveiling of sculptures of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Chinese Chairman Mao.”
“The unparalleled contributions were made by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who created a new Islamic state in Pakistan for the subcontinent’s Muslims, and by Chairman Mao Zedong, who created modern China,” explained the Prime Minister. “Chairman Mao Zedong is held in the highest esteem in the hearts of every Pakistani,” The Prime Minister’s remark was in regard to the inborn esteem that existed between Pakistan and China.
The Prime Minister underscored the historical bonds formed between the two nations that were based on mutual respect and trust. “Both Pakistan and China are keepers of an ancient heritage,” he reflected on having visited this year the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an, China. He also underscored the Indus Valley civilization, with millennia-old history preserved in sites such as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
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Recent visits made by the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, to this country, created a strong emphasis on bilateral ties from the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “It is shooting new heights as all-weather strategic partnerships are becoming enhanced at exceptionally crucial junctions of great defense, agricultural, and CPEC collaborations between Pakistan and China,” he noted. The first contingent of Pakistani agriculture graduates going to China for advanced training and research would soon leave.
The ceremony was attended by Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Culture Attaullah Tarar; Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi; Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan His Excellency Jiang Zedong; Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi; and senior government officials.