Community's Wholehearted Participation in LA Candlelight Vigil
By Link Staff Reporter
Pictures by Anwar Khawaja
Los Angeles, CA: To express solidarity with the affected families and to condemn the horrific murder of innocent children in the barbaric attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, the Consulate General of Pakistan in association with the Pakistan Arts Council, Council of Pakistan American Affairs, TCF, SHINE Humanity, DIL and members of the Pakistani American community held a candlelight vigil in front of the Consulate on Friday, December 19th. Almost all prominent members of the community, anyone or everyone who matters, unfailingly turned up to lend support to the vigil's organizers.
In their brief remarks on the occasion, speakers and participants in the vigil condemned the heinous attack on young school children in Peshawar and expressed support for the grieving families and a grief-stricken nation. Both young and old appeared oblivious to the chilling cold and attended the vigil with due somberness. Consul General Hamid Asghar Khan and Consul Dr Khalid Ejaz vividly shared the plaintive mood and bore a somber expression on their face. E minent mainstream political figures, state and city officials who attended the vigil demonstrably shared the resolve of the Pakistani-American community and nation in combating the scourge of terrorism.
They included: Congresswoman Janice Hahn; Congresswoman Maxine Waters; Zerihun Retta Shumye, Consul General of Ethiopia, Dean of Consular Corps; Consul General of UAE; Consul of Egypt; M. Finbar Hill, Hon. Consul General of Ireland; Lourdes Saab, Deputy Chief of Protocol, Los Angeles County ; Ali Sajjad, Council Member from City of Artesia; Janet Weiland, Church of Scientology; Heidi Ashcraft, Director, Public Affairs Council, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter – Day Saints; Dr Berkat, representative of Pakistani Christian Community; Maninder Singh, representative of Sikh Community; Dr Hasanuddin Hashmi, Chairman Islamic Center Momin Lodge; Mohammad Khan, Director Inter Faith, King Fahad Mosque; Capt. Darryl Ito, Los Angeles Police Department and Randolph Dobbs, External Affairs, Los Angeles Bahai Center.
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