Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sector has lauded the role of Foreign Office for organising training for spouses of diplomats, saying that this training would prove beneficial for the participants, besides helping them in learning as how they introduce better image of Pakistan abroad.
This was a very successful event and I hope the participants would find the training beneficial for their stay abroad, she said while addressing the certificates distribution ceremony at the concluding ceremony of the week-long pre-posting training course at Foreign Office on Tuesday.
The weeklong pre-posting training course for the spouses of diplomats was jointly organised by Foreign Service Academy and Pakistan Foreign Office Women's Association (PFOWA). Around 50 participants attended the course mainly from the Foreign Office and representatives from the Armed Forces and Ministry of Information.
The course was especially designed to familiarise ladies with their role as Pakistan's representatives at the Missions abroad. A series of lectures were conducted by eminent speakers on a wide range of topics, including role of spouses at Missions, Pakistan's foreign policy, Pakistan's art and culture, diplomatic norms and etiquette, security concerns, stress management, and religious issues.
Traditional topics, such as table setting and layout, floral arrangement, the art of conversation, make-up and personal grooming, wardrobe management and a visit to Lok Virsa Museum, Islamabad, were included in the programme. During the training, wives of former Ambassadors shared with the participants their own experiences of life abroad and gave them a list of 'dos and don'ts while living away from Pakistan.
This was the sixth edition of the pre-posting orientation course for spouses of diplomats. Previous editions had been limited to wives of Foreign Service officers, however, this time, as a gesture of goodwill, the organisers invited participation from the Armed Forces and Ministry of Information. Ministry of Commerce has also expressed interest to join the next edition.