The 62nd National Day of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was marked by the newly appointed Consul General A. Sabarullah Khan, Sri Lankan consulate officials and members of the Sri Lankan community at the consulate premises here Thursday. Consul General Khan raised the Sri Lankan flag while the national anthem was sung by students from the Sri Lankan International School. A special prayer song “Jay Mangla Gata” for the blessings of Allah upon their beloved homeland was followed by a lighting of the traditional lamp by the counsel general and honored guests of the program. In his address, the consul general conveyed his greetings to all Sri Lankan nationals and friends. “It is my mission to enhance the relationship at all levels whether in Sri Lanka or Saudi Arabia and create people-to-people contact. I congratulate Saudi Arabia for last year's successful Haj and am grateful for the support granted to thousands of Sri Lankan pilgrims,” he said. He also said that he believed that the collective efforts of the Sri Lankan community and consulate towards the common goal of nation building would be fruitful. The consul general read out the message of the president of Sri Lanka in which he congratulated Sri Lankan nationals on having a special National Day after a 30-year-long fight against terrorism in the country. The consulate's first attaché W.A. Perera read out the message of the Sri Lankan prime minister in which he gave the message of living with peace and harmony for the development of the nation. MAC Ahmed Nazeel, consulate attaché, read the message of the Sri Lankan foreign affairs minister which stressed the importance of a development program in the country with the initiation of the construction of harbors, airports, roads, and electricity generation. “I reiterate the call of the president for all Sri Lankans living overseas to return to Sri Lanka and join in being true stakeholders in Sri Lanka's economic and social advancement,” he said in his message.
