DUBAI, 15 March — The Pakistani pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 is finally ready, and was handed to the Pakistani authorities on Monday (14 March) during an official ceremony.
The pavilion is located in the Opportunity District and covers a total area of 35,000 square feet. The initial cost of the pavilion is about Dh77 million (20.9 million USD) as reported by Khaleej Times.
The official ceremony for the pavilion was attended by Abdul Razak Dawood, advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on commerce and investment; Muhammad Sualeh Faruqui, secretary at the Ministry of Commerce; Afzaal Mahmood, ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE; Ahsan Ali Mangi, secretary of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and other senior officials.
Omar Shehadeh, chief international participants officer at Expo 2020 Dubai; Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer; and Ahmed Al Hamdan, country manager for Pakistan at Expo 2020, were also present on the occasion.
Pakistan’s pavilion will boast the theme ‘Pakistan: The Hidden Treasure’, focusing on enhancing the country’s tourism industry, commerce and investment opportunities and will take its’ visitors through a “timeless journey from the world’s earliest recorded civilisations to the challenges of the new millennium”.
“Pakistan is bestowed with natural beauty, historical and religious sites, highest peaks and calm deserts. It is the destination for mountaineers, historians, archaeologists, writers, photographers and many such tourists.
“Through our theme at Expo 2020 Dubai, we plan to present and showcase the land of opportunities to promote tourism, commerce and investment in the country,” said Abdul Razak Dawood.
During the six month exhibition, Pakistan is planning to host trade and investment seminars and conferences, along with cultural shows and tourism events.
The 35,000 square feet pavilion was designed with modularity and a flexible build, this will allow it to be part of the Dubai Expo 2020 legacy initiative, so it can potentially be transformed to a Oakistan Culture and Heritage Centre, contributing towards education and innovation and promoting tourism and culture of Pakistan.
Source: Gulf News/Khaleej Times/Agencies
