Pakistani woman hoists national flag at North Pole
Written by pub
Saturday, 21 April 2007

ISLAMABAD, Apr 21 (APP): Namira Salim, a Pakistani national, won
laurels for the nation when she hoisted Pakistani flag at the North
Pole on Saturday morning at 0530 hours (PST). As she also awaits her
space flight during the next couple of years, Namira Salim becomes the
first Pakistani to reach the top of the world, the Geographic North
Pole.

"It is great honor to represent my country as the first Pakistani
citizen at the Geographic North Pole during the "International Polar
Year' that marks the challenge of climate change our planet faces,"
Namira told APP by satellite phone.

"As I hoist the Pakistan flag at the pinnacle of our planet, I convey
a universal message of peace and to assert to the global community
that Pakistani nation is peace loving and tolerant nation," she added.

Based in Southern France, Namira has deep affiliation with innovative
art and multi-dimensional mixed media, some created around poetry she
writes and some are musical she incorporates into songs in her own
voice.

Her collectibles and decorative art objects also come along her to
support global causes.

Namira created a specialized line of musical art objects with built-in
messages in the voices of renowned altruists, first unveiled at the
United Nations in May 2002.

"As a humanitarian artist and a truly global citizen I have also come
to hoist a flag of universal peace at the Pole," she said, adding that
this peace flag bears the theme of her United Nations exhibition
'Peace-Making with Nation-Souls.'

She sees the war and conflict with pain and hopes that tolerance can
be inspired through the arts and understanding for the peace and
progress of the world.

"The North Pole bears an amazing resemblance to Pakistani's scenic
Northern Ares" said Namira, expressing her sentiments of joy and
happiness.

"As Pakistan's Honorary Ambassador of Tourism, I'd like to invite the
world to experience Pakistan's rich culture and to touch the world's
top most mountain peaks, like the K-2," she stated.

Namira also praised the 2004 Polar expedition of Anouskha Kachelo, a
Pakistan born UK citizen who is known to be the youngest woman to have
reached the North Pole.

"My Polar mission is that of a peace ambassador, while Anouska's
expedition was that of a true adventurer, which remains a source of
inspiration to this day," she said.

Namira Saleem had also made an attempt to hoist Pakistani flag at the
North Pole on April 14, but could not succeed due to bad weather.