Pakistan Engineers Forum (PEF) Qatar, one of the leading forums for professionals and engineers in Qatar, organised an event at Bait Al Sulaiti near Qatar National Museum, to celebrate the tremendous success of the FIFA WC Qatar 2022.
The felicitation ceremony commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran followed by national anthems of Qatar and Pakistan and FIFA official songs.
PEF General Secretary Shabber Ali started the first segment of the event – presentation of appreciation certificates to FIFA volunteers.
Ashraf Siddiqi, a senior journalist and a veteran volunteer, explained the journey of success thus: “Volunteering is a passion for serving fellow humans by putting oneself in challenging situations and tests but the passion keeps a volunteer strong and moving forward. It was a dream to be a part of the world’s top sporting event.”
Fahad Ismail, a member of Pakistani pioneer volunteers, explained that Pakistani pioneer volunteers always remained at the forefront of providing their services. He recalled that the community’s FIFA support journey started in 2019 when the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) required some lead volunteers to manage the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Pakistani pioneer volunteers constituted a fair share of the Ruwaad Pioneer volunteer programme.
Qaiser Anwar Khan noted that the FIFA WC Qatar 2022 tournament is rated as the best edition of the century which surely deserves celebration. With 64 matches in 29 days, it was indeed a remarkable event which carried smiles and joy on everyone’s face, he said.
The certificate distribution ceremony was managed by Ikram Butt and Syed Faiz Shah.
Jamal Faiz Al Saeedi, advisor at the Ministry of Culture; Waheed Ullah Wazir, Community Welfare Attache at the Pakistan Embassy; Riyaz Ahmed Bakali, President of PEF; Badar Sohail Khan, Chairman of PEF, and senior community members presented certificates to the volunteers.
Wazir appreciated the PEF and the volunteers for their support towards the success of the mega event. He noted the role of several other institutions in Pakistan in providing essential services for the safety and security of games.
Al Saeedi thanked PEF for utilising the Ministry of Culture platform to connect FIFA WC Qatar 2022 and extended his support for future programmes. He praised the rich culture of Pakistan and the presentation of the cultural programmes during, and in preparing for the FIFA WC Qatar 2022.
Senior community leader Chaudhary Mohammed Ajmal thanked all volunteers, participants, the Ministry of Culture, and the Pakistan Embassy.
New Shan-e-Lahore restaurant served traditional Pakistani cuisine on the occasion.
The second segment of the event was a cultural show conceived by Dr Khalil Ullah Shibli. Local singers Tanwir Awan, Hassan Gillani and Jamshed Bajwa mesmerised the audience with their rendition of classical and popular numbers. Music accompaniment was provided by Mohammad Akbar Aurakzai and Ghulam Hussain. Ibrahim Zada presented shawls to the performers.
