COPAA Organizes Grand
Eid Milan Party
A Pakistan Link Report
From left: COPAA President Razaq Chaudhry,
Consul General Syed Ibne Abbas and Sheriff Lee Baca |
The Council of Pakistan American
Affairs (COPAA) held a Grand Eid Milan Party on Saturday,
October 20, 2007 at the LAX Hilton. The function turned
out to be a truly ‘grand’ occasion as the food,
décor, speeches, and arrangements conformed to the
high standards that COPAA has come to be associated with,
thanks to the strivings of its members.
As usual, a spirit of camaraderie marked the proceedings
with COPAA Board members – Ahmed Ali, Nargis Kurwa,
Tanveer Khan, Hafiz ur Rehman, Javed Iqbal, Anila Ali, Farida
Merchant, Shaista Khan, Hamid Malik, Farhat Zubair, Firoze
Fakhri and Ismail KeeKeeBhai - doing their utmost to help
President Razaq Chaudhry put up a grand show.
The tragic October 18 events in Karachi, however, had dampened
the spirits of all and sundry in the glittering Hilton hall.
The expression of joy and merriment was visibly subdued.
COPAA President Razaq Chaudhry began his speech with an
exhortation to the audience to observe “a moment of
silence in the memory of 134 people killed in Karachi by
the suicide attacks in the midst of a peaceful political
procession.”
Pictures
above: Guests at the COPAA Eid Milan Party |
He plaintively added that
the COPAA Board “was very upbeat and was set to celebrate
the party in a very jubilant fashion, but in light of the
tragic attacks in Karachi this week, tonight’s event
will be marked by a somber undertone.”
Claiming that COPAA “remains a silent voice for the
Pakistani community in the United States, he made a candid
observation: “In this turbulent yet riveting time
for Pakistan and Pakistani-American relations, it is more
imperative than ever for all Pakistanis to stand unified…”
Ismail
KeeKeeBhai |
Dr Chaudhry informed the gathering
of a laudable initiative of his Council that is bound to
produce wholesome results: “As a part of COPAA’s
involvement in helping the US legislators craft informed
policy with regard to Pakistan, COPAA recently teamed up
with the Pacific Council on International Policy, a Los
Angeles-based non-profit international affairs organization,
and sponsored an Adjunct fellowship scheme at the Pacific
Council. The research fellow will be selected from a pool
of very talented and unbiased political analysts from various
political institutions in the United States. This fellowship
will focus on the importance of current Pakistan-US relations
and make recommendations to strengthen these relationships
in coming years. This is the first of many such endeavors
that COPAA hopes to undertake in a simultaneous effort to
engage the Pakistani community and the US policymakers…”
Speaking on the occasion,
Consul General Syed Ibne Abbas made brief but scintillating
remarks. He exhorted community members to integrate with
mainstream America and be seized of their role of cementing
better Pakistan-United States relations.
Addressing the gathering, Sheriff Lee Baca said Eid is very
much a US tradition today. He paid glowing tributes to Muslims
and Pakistani Americans. “The great country of Pakistan
extends to the US through you,” he remarked.
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