Islamabad - The definition of the word “casual” in diplomatic terms when it comes to dress code is very broad. It gets further complicated if written “casual/smart.” In Pakistani dialect, casual dressing means jeans and a T-shirt and this is where it stops. The dress code on the Invite to Netherlands Kings’ Day Celebrations this week, read: “Dress: Casual with a touch of Orange.” It made life easier for the women but for Pakistani men, it was an uphill task as usually, orange is the not the new black when it comes to Pakistani male chauvinist society. As I was in a fix to find the orange touch, matching my Khaki’s, my 8-year-old offered her orange socks. Due to security advisory making rounds in the tinsel town, the venue was shifted from Marriott Hotel to Australian Club, also known as Coolabah Club, located in the Diplomatic Enclave.
“I had to wear a suit because the only orange touch I could find is this tie,” replied Marc P George, Ambassador of Switzerland as we entered the premises and I questioned his attire. It was indeed a pleasant evening and the garden party was in full swing.
“We celebrate King’s Day like this. Its music, food, wine and dance,” commented one of the diplomatic staffers of the Dutch embassy welcoming the guests. The event followed a Truck Art theme as it’s in these days. A lavish spread of confessionary display, chunks of Holland cheese with mini flag tags, smoked eel making rounds amongst the guests and bee line for the slow cooked beef with hutspot and the seafood delicacy. The food no doubt infused colour in the garden party and made the evening even more exciting.
The dance floor was filled to capacity as soon as the famous musical hit YMCA of the 70’s sung by the American band ‘Village People’ hit the eardrums. It was followed by famous Mikal Jackson hit numbers. With music taking the night away, it seems though very undiplomatic, yet no one was interested to talk about the Panama Leaks or even current affairs for a change. A few beleaguered politicians from the PML-N were upset for being ignored by the party but the tongue and cheek information did not provide even food for thought to write back home.
“Is this something new which we should be surprised at? Don’t we know that not all but most of our politicians are corrupt,” commented an Ex-PPP minister of state.
A car dealer tampers with the mileage of the car before selling, a meat shop sells an unhealthy dying chicken to a customer, a fruit seller mixes sour apples with fresh ones before packing , this is all corruption my friend and that too at a grassroots level, added another guests joining the conversation.
It was a smart move by Jeannette Seppen, the Ambassador of The Netherlands to say a few words, literally speaking. A long lengthy speech would have spoiled the mood of the evening. But then she had to thank her Aussi friends who saved the day and lend their Club for their King’s Day celebrations.
Lately, due to security alerts, indoor events have turned into garden parties. The outgoing Ambassador of Sweden, Tomas Rosander, too held his farewell reception at his residence. Generally, attendance on the farewells says a lot about the public relations of the envoy and so was witnessed at Tomas’ reception. The lawn which on many other occasions had looked quite spacious had become very congested. Guests, who were pouring in, didn’t want to leave without hearing Thomas Say Goodbye. Being a former journalist, his speeches always carry a few humorous punches and gibes on no one but himself which provides laughter as the best medicine to the guest. Tomas replacement is a “she” which will make the female ambassadors club numbers go higher than ever in Pakistan.
–The writer is a freelance contributor.