- Diplomats say they spend Eid with Pakistani friends and colleagues, eating both local dishes and foods from their home countries
- Many expats say little difference between Eid traditions and customs in Pakistan and other Muslim nations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis celebrating Eid-al-Fitr around Pakistan were joined in the festivities by Arabs living in Pakistan on Wednesday, marking the end of Islam's fasting month of Ramadan.
“I have spent my Eid with my Moroccan Embassy colleagues and my Pakistani brothers,” Moroccan diplomat Abderrahim Toukan told Arab News on the first day of Eid in Pakistan. “We have offered Eid prayers, made Moroccon sweet and savory dishes,” he said, adding that “both the countries don’t have much differences in the tradition of Eid.”
Lebanese expat Raid Ghandour said him and his family had visited cemeteries in Islamabad early in the morning and offered prayers on Eid day.
“The first day morning we go to cemeteries to read Fatiha,” Ghandour said, referring to a verse of the Quran often read at graves.
Nigerian expat with Pakistani and Arab friends celebrating Eid Al-Fitr feasting at a local restaurant in Islamabad on Wednesday June 5. (Photo Courtesy: Nigerian Expat Aliewa)
“We gather for lunch with family and parents on the first day,” Ghandour said, adding that he would be visiting elderly friends and relatives later in the day.
“Being far from home doesn't change anything because I celebrate Eid with the same feelings and fervor,” said Nigerian expat Emeka Aliewa, who has lived in Pakistan for over a decade.
Aliewa teaches at the Emirati institute of Sheikh Zayed International Academy and coaches football in Islamabad and said his regular Eid day in Pakistan involved taking friends and students out to dinner with his family.