Canada Day Potluck:

Our Annual Canada Day Celebration will be held at Bear Creek Park (88th and King George HWY, Surrey) this year and will feature games and sporting events for all ages. A potluck table will be setup for people to share and sample a variety of delicious treats. Canada Day souvenirs will be handed out to all children that attend the event. The event will start at 11 am and run to approximately 5 pm.

Fusion Festival:

Taking place at the newly designed Holland Park in Surrey, Fusion is just that… a fusion of countries and cultures all gathered together to share their traditions with each other. Pakistan will be well represented and we encourage each and everyone to come out and take part. The event is being held on July 18, 19 and 20.

Independence Day Celebration:

Our Independence Day event will be held on Sunday August 17th. Details have yet to be announced. Please visit this site for updated information.

Pakistan-Canada Association had the great pleasure of inviting and hosting Mr. Ethan Casey author of, ‘Alive and Well in Pakistan’ last evening, Friday May 30th at Pakistan House. In my time with Pakistan-Canada Association I have not been part of a more thoughtful and thought provoking evening than I was privileged to be part of last night.

Mr. Casey, an American living in Seattle traveled to Pakistan in Sept of 2003 and wrote extensively about his journey. His experiences with everyday Pakistanis. Their humour, hospitality, ambitions, dreams, fears all captured in his book. Mr. Casey read a few passages from his book and drew applause from the audience upon completing each passage. A question and answer session followed and the questions ranged from asking about his reflections on the people to the geopolitical importance Pakistan has in today’s world. The individuals in attendance came with passion and purpose and were thoroughly engaged in the evenings talk and discussion. The underlying message that many of us went home with is that if we perceive a problem to exist, we are the only ones that can address it and fix it. A proactive rather than reactive approach must be adopted in order for positive change to occur.

Thanks go to Mr. Afzal Bashir Bajwa and Mr. Malik Arfan for organizing this event and to all members of Pakistan-Canada Association for their contributions to making this event successful. The biggest thank you goes to the members of the Pakistani community that took time out of their schedules to attend this event and engage us all with their interest and knowledge. At the end of the event Mr. Casey expressed a great desire to return to the Lower Mainland and speak with our community again.

Copies of his book were personally signed last night for those in attendance. If you were unable to attend or attended the event and wish to purchase additional copies please provide your name and address to me and I will communicate that information with Mr. Casey so a copy of his book can be sent to you. Cost is $25 CAD not including shipping. I strongly encourage you to support Mr. Casey so he can continue to promote the goodness of Pakistan. He is currently in development of a documentary film titled, ‘Pakistan Live’ which will document everyday Pakistanis in their daily lives. As you can imagine Mr. Casey’s book has received acclaim from many but unfortunately has not reached the wider community due to its subject matter not meeting with the wide spread belief that Pakistan is a hot bed of radicalism. We must do what we can to bring this book to light, donate it to our schools and libraries so people can read what Pakistan is truly about.

Inshallah we will have an opportunity to bring Mr. Casey back to Vancouver and provide an opportunity for a greater dialogue to evolve with our community so we can work even harder to effect positive change.