RIYADH: Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor Ul Haq said that co-existence and tolerance are the cardinal principles for peace and prosperity of a nation.

He was speaking at an event to celebrate the 139th birth anniversary of father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Riyadh on Thursday.

The commemorative event was also meant to celebrate the silver jubilee of the Pakistan Writers Club (PWC.)

Haq said that the contributions made by Mohammad Ali Jinnah will be remembered by the Pakistani nation as remarkable initiatives to build an independent country.

Appreciating the services rendered by the PWC, Haq said that it was interesting to know that the club provides a platform to harness the literary and fine art skills of its women members.

Stressing on the importance of empowerment of women, he said : “We cannot leave aside women who comprise almost half of the population of any nation. Women have a role to play and their talents and skills should be utilized for the betterment of the community,” Haq said.

This PWC event was attended by a large gathering comprising of Pakistanis men & women from all walks of life. Ambassador Manzoor Ul Haq and his wife Madam Nighat Manzoor were chief guests. Popular businessman and social worker, Shamshad Siddiqui was the guest-of-honor.

The event was ably compered by General Secretary Ashiq Hussain and Convener of PWC-LC Ms. Farah Ehsan. They were supported by Ehsan Abbasi – Secretary PWC Think-Tank.

The program commenced with the recital of verses from the Holy Qur’an by Shahjahan Sherazi, vice president-media, followed by poetry recitation by senior member of PWC-LC Almas Mumtaz.