Tajammul Gurmani
Manchester
Pakistani community celebrated the Independence Day of Pakistan in Manchester. The largest event was hosted by the Consulate General of Pakistan. The renowned people who attended the event included Consul General Imtiaz Feroz Gondal, MP Afzal Khan, MP Adnan Khan, MP Yasmin Qureshi, Lord Mayor of Manchester Shoukat Ali, business tycoon Tariq Ghani, Father Falak Sher, Ch Tahir Siddique, Ch Mussarat, Abdul Ghaffar, Dr Younas Perwaz, Yasmin Dar, Pakistani senior anchor person Sohail Warriach, Sajjad Karim, Cllr Naeemul Hassan and a large number of business and social leaders, local councillors and others.
The participants wore colourful dresses and set up cultural stalls, while refreshments were also served on the occasion.
The event started with a flag-hoisting ceremony and the national anthem of Pakistan. Later, community leaders delivered speeches and acknowledged the sacrifices of the people who contributed to the independence of Pakistan. MP Afzal Khan, in his address, welcomed the Consul General for organising such a wonderful event. He said there were three important things to remember: looking back at history and how independence was achieved, remembering the sacrifices of those individuals who gave everything for their country, and recognising the contribution of the present generation. “Today, you can see on my right-hand side, I’m wearing these medals. They are my father’s. My father served in the British Indian Army and then served Pakistan. He served in three wars, and this is the sacrifice that we remember,” he said.
MP Afzal Khan said the sacrifices were not limited to his father, adding that tens of thousands of Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis were part of the British Indian Army. He also praised British Pakistanis who are serving in all walks of life. He criticised far-right activities in the UK and said that although there may be people on the far right who contribute nothing, every nation has people who are not good, while majority of people in every nation are good. “Those who want to spread the message of hate, we should always spread the message of love, because those are our values,” he said. MP Afzal Khan said he was proud of the strong relationship between Britain and Pakistan and hoped that the relationship would continue for a long time. “I feel proud that we have a strong relationship between Britain and Pakistan, and long may that continue. We have always been that strong bridge between two countries and we will continue to do that,” he said. He also praised the Pakistan government and Pakistan armed forces for signing the “Mecca Accord”, describing it as a significant achievement and saying that the agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan could have great potential. “There is a powerful message in this. We can look after ourselves. The Muslim world has seen its fair share of problems. So, when you have a strong pact like this, which I have no doubt is going to grow, and as a Briton, I think we should be proud that throughout the world there are other sources and powers who can bring these countries together and work for peace,” he said. Concluding his address, MP Afzal Khan said he was proud to be present with the Pakistani community to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day.
