Islamabad – Inspiring words and splendid colours at the Art and Speech Competitions about Japan not only expressed the talent of young Pakistani students but also promoted Pak-Japan cultural understanding and relationship.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Oe remarked that “the competition shows that the Pakistani students are extremely intelligent and stand for the bright future of this country.” He expressed his belief that the “Art and Speech Competition will help strengthen our existing friendship and will develop cultural understanding among the peoples of the two countries.”
The competition, which is held annually in Pakistan since 1995, was jointly organized by the Embassy of Japan and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Thursday at National Art Gallery, Islamabad, aimed at promoting creativity of the talented young students of Pakistan. Hiroshi Oe, the Ambassador of Japan, his spouse Madame Midori Oe; Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi, President of Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association, and Hassan Abbas Raza, Acting Director General PNCA, awarded certificates and souvenirs to the winning students.
In the Art Competition category, the first prize was bagged by Maheen Shahid of The City School. The second and third prizes went to Hamza Ayaz of Beaconhouse, (Margalla Campus) and Dilawaiz Sultan of St Mary’s Cambridge School Rawalpindi, respectively.
The results of on-the-spot painting competition was declared on the same day and Summiya Najam of Bahria College, Islamabad received the first prize while the second prize was awarded to Abdullah Amir of Joint Staff School and College, Rawalpindi and the Tayyaba Aslam, Springfield Public School, Rawalpindi was rewarded the third prize. Students of different schools in Islamabad and Rawalpindi participated in the competition.
Two 12 to 14 years-old students from each school drew pictures in the Art contest on topics related to Japan and Pakistan. Whereas one student from each school competed in the Speech Competition in Urdu with a topic related to Japan. Mussarrat Nahid Imam, Director, Visual Art of PNCA and Fauzia Minallah, renowned artist, along with a representative of the Japan Embassy made up the panel for the Art Competition. While the panel of judges for Speech Competition comprised of Mrs. Nabila Sajjad, Assistant Professor, Islamabad Model College for Girls, Mrs. Tahira Ikram, Associate Professor (Retd) Waqar-un-Nisa Post Graduate College, Rawalpindi, Sultan Sikander Khan, former President MAAP, and a representative from the Embassy of Japan.
Students captured the themes of peace in the painting contest to express themselves on the growing cordial relations between Pakistan and Japan. In speech contest, the students depicted the scenes of Japan’s tragic quake and tsunami in March 2011 and linked it with the courage of the Japanese nation to stand firm to the calamities. The competition provided an opportunity for young and talented students help hold bridges of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
