ndia`s 68th Republic Day was celebrated with a large reception at the Serena Hotel this week hosted by High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale. State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman Khan was invited as the chief guest.
In addition to envoys from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member countries, civilian and military diplomats from various countries attended the reception alongside guests from the private sector and civil society.
`Since there were fewer formalities than at other diplomatic events, there was more time to mingle and have informal talks, said a retired Pakistani diplomat `When the overdue political disagreements between Pakistan and India eventually will be solved, we will be a great subcontinent and can develop faster economically,` another Pakistani guest said, and added: `We are very much alike, yet also different, so we will benefit from closer contact. India is a diverse country and people-to-people contact will be useful for all of us.
