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The world owes the UAE for putting Expo 2020 together: Ahad Raza Mir

Ahad was appointed the brand ambassador of the Pakistan Pavilion, along with actress Mahira Khan.

Ahad Raza Mir who has become one of Pakistan’s most beloved actors in the recent past sat down with City Times to talk about how he felt as the brand ambassador of the Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, and how he sees the UAE as a leading country of the future.

He claimed he was speechless when he finished his tour of the Pakistan Pavilion. “I thought I had seen it all,” he marvelled, shaking his head. “In my work, I have explored a lot of Pakistan, I’ve met a lot of people but after going through the pavilion today I realise how much I don’t know and how much remains to be seen. The initiative taken is fantastic. I feel very proud. It gave me the feeling of the Pakistan I believe in.”

HIS MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THE PAVILION

“The first word that comes to mind is unity. Unity in religion, in the subcultures. You get emotional when you go through it. You realise what the country stands for: Unity and harmony amongst people. I think the preconceived notions people had of Pakistan are so false. I’m really happy and excited about what I saw. It opens up huge opportunities for tourism and investment. People from abroad should come and shoot in Pakistan! We’ve got all kinds of terrains. Blue beaches that could pass for the Bahamas!”

HIS JOB AS BRAND AMBASSADOR

“I think it’s gonna be the responsibility of all the brand ambassadors to educate everyone; that this is what our country is all about. I do believe the idea (of what people feel about Pakistan) is changing. I’ve been travelling a lot and people do understand Pakistan better. And I feel we need to collaborate with other artists more through this platform, so it creates a trickle down effect where those artists go and take this message forward.”

ON THE UAE AND EXPO 2020 DUBAI

“The world owes the UAE for putting Expo 2020 together. I find that UAE is the pinnacle of what human beings are capable of. Just take a look at the timeline of this city (Dubai) alone, you can see what human beings are capable of in just a short amount of time. The way that they’ve taken the initiative to bring everyone together like this and as well as support each country, and they’ve made sure everyone feels represented and it’s all inclusive. It’s a great thing they’re doing. It goes back to the message of unity. If we’re going to collaborate and share ideas, that’s the kind of future I’d like to live in.”

A MESSAGE FOR FANS

“All Pakistanis should come see the pavilion. It would be especially great if there are young Pakistanis who don’t know about their roots, those who probably weren’t born in Pakistan who can come see what Pakistan is all about. And there’s great restaurants you can check out! We’re moving towards a world where we don’t have to put each other in boxes. I’m excited to see what kind of future that will be. And I think UAE will be at the frontline of that future.”

mahwash@khaleejtimes.com