The Dutch Ambassador, Dr Marcel Kurpershoek, (Click
Here for Speech), has assured
the Pakistani horticulturists of all help to "bring
the Tulip back to Pakistan" as
it will bring back beauty love and prosperity for
its people.
Speaking
at the late fall Tulips and other flowers show at
the Embassy here on Tuesday evening, the envoy said
his colleagues and the Pakistan Horticulture Board
were working together on plans in this connection.
The Pakistani female flower admirers and those of
the Embassy tastefully organised the simple preRamazan
function and had on display colourflll Tulips and
Irises specially flmvo out trom "Amsterdanl and
a bouquets of fTesh flowers sent by the Quetta Flower
Association. The ladies representing the flower societies
of Lahore and Islamabad had worked for days to an-ange
a view of what the Ambassador called a "colourful
cooperation".
The reception was presided over by Sumaira Malik,
Minister of State and Tourism who had visited Holland
during President Pervez Musharrafs official visit
to that country last month.
In her brief remarks, Ms. Malik hoped that proposed
cooperation between Islamabad and Amsterdam will not
only bring introduce his compatriots to a useful economic
activity but also bring the two people closer.
Dr. Kurpershoek said more than four billion cut flowers
and pot plants were exported trom Holland each and
last year their export value amounted to about five
billion dol
'Jars. This made his countrv a "flower
power", he added. And his country, the envoy
declared wished to share this knowledge and expertise
with Pakistan as it could be "a better field
for cooperation" between the two nations.
He surprised his audience of mainly parliamentarians,
diplomats, intellectual and horticulturists and florists
by reciting a short poem trom Maulana Rumi in its
original Persian text and then its translation that
spoke of the advent of spring and the emergence of
Lala (the tulip). To the amazement of many he revealed
that Tulip was a native of Turkey and Central Asia
and was exported to Europe some four hundred years.
The great Moghul Emperor, Babar was an expert on this
variety and had identified 35 different kinds of tulips.
