Karachi Be Added to Irvine’s Friendship Cities Program
By Tami Sheikh
On July 23, 2013 the City of Irvine held its weekly City Council meeting. In this meeting Mr Farhan Aziz, the President of Irvine Pakistani Parents Association, IPPA, addressed the Mayor and members of the City Council. In his address, he suggested that Karachi (a coastal city in Southern Pakistan) be added to the list of friendship cities under the Friendship City Program. The City of Irvine’s “Friendship Cities Program” provides Irvine with the opportunity to increase and improve the city’s relationships internationally. Friendship city relationships may include correspondence and communication between mayors, members of the city council, and other community members and may extend to cultural and educational exchanges.
Mr Aziz talked about the efforts of the Pakistani community members who have raised thousands of dollars for Irvine schools and showed constant support for the City of Irvine. He suggested that including Karachi in this Friendship Program would encourage more Pakistani participation in civic life and it would bring more revenue and investments to the City of Irvine. Moreover, it would create a multicultural understanding among the residents of Irvine.
A large number of Pakistani community members also attended the meeting to show their support for the proposal by Councilman Larry Agran, a friend of the Pakistani community.
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