Scintillating tributes were paid to Pakistan’s outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram — the country’s star diplomat — at an impressive event in which most of the US-based journalists participated. The largely-attended event — a dinner reception — was hosted by Asif Jamal, chief operating officer of ARY Digital Network North America, at a restaurant in Hicksville, New York, to bid farewell to Ambassador Akram — a “prominent figure in multilateral diplomacy” — and to welcome Pakistan’s new Ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who formally took over the post on Tuesday. So well respected is Munir Akram for his strong defence and advocacy of Pakistan’s interests and policies at the United Nations that not only most journalists, but also a large number of Pakistani community leaders, including Dr. Ijaz Ahmad, chairman of the American-Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC), and academics and activists attended. Also present on the occasion were Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, Consul General Aamir Ahmed Atozai and the Press Counselor at the Pakistani Mission, Amanat Ali Chaudhry. In a welcome address, ARY’s Asif Jamal called Ambassador Akram as an “outstanding diplomat” and a stalwart who wielded a lot of influence at the world body. He drew attention to his illustrious career in the service of Pakistan and his brilliant work at diplomatic posts around the world, his stint as a newspaper columnist as well as his speaking engagements at key domestic and international forums. About a dozen Pakistani journalists joined in paying accolades to Ambassador Munir Akram for his bold and courageous support to the freedom struggle of the Kashmiris and the Palestinians and for his push for the UN General Assembly to designate 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Also highlighted was Munir Akram’s input in Pakistan’s election as a non-permanent member of UN Security Council, his leadership of the the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group which has effectively countered the intensive campaign by India, Brazil, Germany and Japan — known as the Group of Four — for permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Pakistan firmly opposes any additional seats on the 15-member Council. Instead it advocates more elected seats to make the Security Council more effective, representative and accountable. It was the first time that most journalists representing Pakistani media got together, something for which they lauded the efforts of ARY’s Jamal. On his part, Ambassador Asim Ifikhar Ahmad said he fully agreed with the string of tributes to his predecessor, saying Munir Akram’s name is synonymous with multilateral diplomacy. He said Ambassador Akram had earned that reputation through his passion at handling the assignments and hard work, saying he is a “complete package” that includes his personality and the expertise he has gained. He said Munir Akram is a mentor, a visionary and strategic thinker who has inspired generation of Pakistani diplomats. Ambassador Asim said he would build on his legacy and move forward to deal with the challenges ahead. He also said that Ambassador Akram’s dedication to the cause of Kashmir and Palestine as well as to uphold the developing countries demands for the resolution of the crises they are facing. IN his remarks, Ambassador Munir Akram profusely thanked for the accolades showered on him, saying in a lighter vein that he hardly recognized himself. “I’m humbled by your remarks, ” he told the audience. Pakistan, he said, is a great country and urged Pakistani diplomats to represent it with a sense of pride. In this regard, Ambassador Akram said that Pakistan, in the 60s, played a “superpower” role at the UN under the leadership of Aga Shahi, especially in advancing the moves to restore peace in the middle East following the 1967 war, citing especially the well known resolution on protecting the status of Jerusalem. Pakistan, he said, faces serious challenges, especially from “our neighbour to the East”. The Pakistan foreign service must develop well-thought out strategies to guide the government to come to right decisions for countering those challenges. He praised Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad as an able diplomat and was confident that he would keep Pakistan’s flag flying high. In the end, ARY’s Asif Jamal presented, on behalf of the journalists, a plaque to Ambassador Akram eulogizing his services to Pakistan.