‘The Republic Day of Italy’ was celebrated by the Consulate of Italy in Karachi at Avari Towers Hotel.

Consolato Generale d’Italia a Karachi, (Consulate General of Italy in Karachi) hosted a widely attended reception to honor ‘The Republic Day of Italy’ on 7th June 2024 at Avari towers, Karachi. The Republic Day of Italy is celebrated on 2nd June every year.

This grand reception was attended by Honorable Governor Sindh Mr. Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Honorable Ms. Faryal Talpur, Honorable Agha Siraj Durrani, Honorable Syed Sardar Ali Shah Minister for Education Sindh, Sector Commander NI Rear Admiral Sohail Arshad, Commander Logistics (COMLOG) Commodore Muhammad Azeem Abbasi, Sector Commander NI Rear Admiral Salman Ilyas, Managing Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works and distinguished members of Sindh Provincial Assembly Mr. Sohail Anwar Sial and Mr. Qasim Soomro to name a few dignitaries and along-with them event also well attended by diplomats, businessmen, socialites and members of press.

To create an exclusive Italian evening – the venue was curated to display high end Italian excellence with product displays from Natuzzi Italia, Nova Color Pakistan, S. Abdullah Homes and Versace by Eleganz Luxury. The display space had been beautifully curated by M/S Axis Design.

Consul General of Italy in Karachi, Mr. Danilo Giurdanella in his welcome remarks expressed his gratitude to all the distinguished guests present at the ceremony and highlighted the important aspects of strong and friendly cooperation between Italy and Pakistan in Economic, Cultural and Social fields.

Italy is the second biggest export market for Pakistan in EU and in terms of remittances. The trade with Italy has risen significantly according to SBP statistics. Italy plays an important role being the host of largest Pakistani community in Europe after UK.

The Consulate of Italy has been also working to promote interfaith harmony in the fight against Islamophobia and to promote inter-religious dialogue. It is encouraging to see that also the Federal Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Mohsin Naqvi recently visited Rome and had a meeting with the Pope Francis.

The Consul General also congratulated the government of Pakistan on being elected in the UN Security Council as representative for the Asia Pacific region. Around 700 students from Sindh and Baluchistan only have gone to Italy to pursue higher studies. This will help Pakistan to overcome the lacking that it faces in technical expertise. The Consulate is also working closely with Public sector universities in Sindh to establish cooperation with similar counterpart institutions in Italy. In particular, the Consulate of Italy in Karachi has established successful partnerships with University of Karachi, NED University and Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and in Sukkur that have allowed the increase in the influx of Pakistani students to Italy.

At the occasion of the National Day of Italy, ‘Bella Italia’ Italian Food Festival was also organized from 04th June till 09th June for the people of Karachi. The Food Festival aims to celebrate Italian culinary heritage and gastronomical excellence and benefits of Mediterranean diet. Chef Vincenzo De Liso is in Karachi and is hosting the Italian Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers.

In order to promote Italian food philosophy and gastronomical excellence a master-class for the Ho.Re.Ca segment was also organized where there was live cooking demonstration of traditional recipes of Italy from Naples. Chef Vincenzo De Liso originating from the vibrant culinary traditions of Naples showcased his culinary innovation and creativity during the master class.

Hotshot Esports clinches Jazz GameNow Free Fire PWCQ championship title and a ticket to represent Pakistan at the Esports World Cup ‘Free Fire’

In collaboration with Jazz and GameNow, Garena Free Fire hosted a nation-wide esports league that served as a qualifier to the Esports World Cup ‘Free Fire’ happening in Riyadh this July. The Grand Finals of the Jazz GameNow Free Fire Pakistan World Cup Qualifiers (FFPWCQ), which took place on June 2, saw Hotshot Esports claim the crown to earn its slot in the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC). Courtesy of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Lahore and Municipal Corporation Lahore Administrator, University of Punjab was lit up with roaring cheers as attendees witnessed thrilling matches between the top twelve teams.

FFPWCQ marks Free Fire’s third LAN event in the city of Lahore and the first outing at the iconic premises in University of Punjab, which was sponsored by DC of Lahore, Rafia Haider and she was among the esteemed guests at the event.

Commenting on the occasion, Rafia Haider, DC of Lahore said, “It’s always a pleasure to bring new initiatives to the youth of Lahore and provide entertainment opportunities to them of their liking. We are glad to play our part in enhancing the esports ecosystem of Pakistan. Lahore has become the hub of esports events in Pakistan and will continue to prosper Insha Allah!”

Ali Fahad, Vice President Marketing Jazz and Falak Gondal from Garena distributed the winning prize to Hotshot.

Ali Fahad, Vice President Marketing at Jazz, presented the winning team with the ticket to Saudi Arabia for the EWC and commented saying “Jazz is proud to have played a pivotal role in the remarkable growth of the country’s gaming ecosystem. Our strategic partnership with Free Fire for the Esports World Cup aligns with our commitment to fueling the growth and development of the esports landscape. By providing a platform for local talent to shine and represent Pakistan on a global stage, we’re empowering gamers to reach new heights. Our gaming superpower, Game Now, has played a pivotal role in growing the local gaming industry, and we’re dedicated to partnering with leading Esports games like Free Fire to drive adoption and foster a vibrant esports gaming community.”

After representing Pakistan in FFWS Hotshot will now represent Pakistan in the EWC. Hotshot Esports will now go on to compete at the global stage against the best teams from FFWS SEA Spring, the first splits of FFWS Brazil and FFWS LATAM, and representatives from MEA, to compete for a slice of the USD$1,000,000 prize pool. Additionally, the winner of the Esports World Cup ‘Free Fire’ will earn a ticket to compete in the Free Fire World Series Global Finals 2024 as the first team to secure a slot in Free Fire’s largest tournament.

Stay tuned to the official Pakistan Garena Free Fire Esports channels for exciting updates on their respective social media handles Facebook, YouTube & Instagram. Free Fire can be downloaded on both the Apple iOS App and Google Play store.

About Garena: Garena is a leading global online games developer and publisher. Free Fire, its self-developed mobile battle royale title, was the world’s most downloaded mobile game from 2019 to 2021, and the most downloaded mobile battle royale in 2022 and 2023, according to data.ai.

Garena is run by passionate gamers and has a unique understanding of what gamers want. It exclusively licenses and publishes hit titles from global partners – such as Arena of Valor and Call of Duty: Mobile – in selected markets globally. Garena champions social and entertainment experiences through games, enabling its communities to engage and interact. Garena is also a leading esports organiser and hosts some of the world’s biggest esports events.

Garena is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Garena, Sea’s other core businesses include its e-commerce arm, Shopee, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.