Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo and newly arrived defence attaché Col Guiseppe Potenza welcomed guests at the Marriott Hotel to mark the Italian National Unity and Armed Forces Day.

The chief guest at the event was Air Marshal Mohammad Haseeb Paracha, the deputy chief of army staff personnel in the Pakistan Air Force.

The day is marked in commemoration of the victory of Italy, as a member of the Allies, over Austria-Hungary in 1918 at the end of World War I. Italy entered WWI in 1915 and fought a series of battles to defend its border.

On Nov 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary asked for armistice, signed in Padua, which entered into force on Nov 4, 1918, ending the war between the two countries and WWI.

Since 1922, the day has been marked as a national holiday and it forms an important element of the construction of Italian national identity. In Italy, in addition to various commemorative events countrywide, the main event is held atAltare della Patriain Rome where theTomb of the Unknown Soldieris marked with an eternal flame.

At the dinner, Pakistani and Italian food was served, and conversation was lively, with music in the background, making for a pleasant event.

-Text and photos by Syeda Shehrbano Kazim, Atle Hetland & Shahbaz Chaudary