Kashmiris Remembered at Pakistan’s Independence Day Celebration in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The 72nd Independence Day of Pakistan (not counting the first) was celebrated with a great deal of enthusiasm in Sacramento, California on Saturday, August 17th at the Cesar Chavez Plaza Park where over 2,000 people of Pakistani origin and many friends gathered to celebrate their roots.
Freedom was the focus here as the plight of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir was also on our minds and the grim situation there was highlighted too. The Sacramento region does not have a huge Pakistani presence but what it does have is possibly the oldest permanent presence of Pakistanis in the United States.
And with that fact in mind, before we move forward with this report, our deepest condolences to the Bath family in recognition of the fact that that they still made it to this event in spite of their tragic loss (and contributed to its success). The family has been here in the US for five generations, if not more. They are a prime example of a people who left the area that became Pakistan in the early 1900’s but still have not forgotten the land that they came from.
Not forgetting where we came from is one thing, but the Pakistani penchant for being late has not left our community either. The ground opened up at 4 pm and the community actually started filtering in at around 6 but our VIPs did not really arrive till around 8 pm with full participation at 8:30. Maybe it was the Sacramento summer heat that held people back, but the event did commence pretty late when emcee Sohail Shahzad started the proceedings and invited a young man from the community to recite from the Holy Qur’an.
Since this was a true Pakistani-American event the national anthems of both the United States and Pakistan were played with colorfully dressed kids on stage and the crowd below participating in their singing. Shahid Saleemi, the leader of the local Pakistani American Association, next bid everyone a warm welcome in his official capacity. He also reflected on the sacrifices made by our ancestors to achieve freedom.
A Pakistani event without some mention of the game of Cricket is never complete. The “Field Fighters” Cricket Club was introduced on the stage and one of the main forces behind this effort Qumar Ashraf took the opportunity to introduce the club and invited everyone to take an interest in it themselves. It is great to see sports clubs being formed in our community where young people can engage in some healthy activity.
After a short prayer break and a trivia quiz competition during which prizes were awarded the stage was set for some singing by kids. This was followed by some very entertaining vocals by the husband and wife team of Ali and Amna Butt who took us on a vocal journey through Pakistan and its provinces of Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan, KP, along with Kashmir. Their performance was well-received along with that of another local performer Ali Sheikh whose Pashto songs moved many young people to dance.
The most moving part of the evening was the 60 seconds of silence and a “Phone Light” (instead of a Candle Light) vigil for the people of Kashmir who have been suffering for weeks now, under curfew and a military lockdown. It was quite a sight to see as over 2,000 cell phones screens lit up downtown Sacramento’s iconic Cesar Chavez Park named after a person who himself fought for the rights of his people throughout his life. Ali and Amna also sang JazbaJunoon to highlight the Kashmiri quest for freedom (Azadi).
Chief Guest for the evening Dr Amir Siddique concluded the formal segment (with Kashmir on his mind too) as he congratulated everyone on the 72nd Independence Day of Pakistan and thanked the Pakistani-American Association for holding such a wonderful event. And since no event can be successful without its sponsors, they were all invited to the stage and received Pagris (a special head covering and a symbol of honor) for their generosity in making this program possible.
And last but not least, the evening was taken over by singer Shazia Manzoor who came all the way from Pakistan to entertain us. Her specialty is Punjabi songs which she sang with great enthusiasm. For us old timers her rendition of the late Noor Jahan’s “Sanu Nehar Wale PulTe Bula Ke” stirred many memories of Pakistan. It also got a possible Grandmother-Grandson combination to dance first which was a delight to watch. We were hoping that Shazia would sing her patent AajaSohneya which her American singing fan performer Janice Miller has sung for us many times here in Sacramento, but that was not to be. But we did get to hear Mahi Aavega, Battiyan Bujhai Rakh Di Ve, Bismillah Karan and Kameez Teri Kaali. And with Luddi Hai Jamalo it seems that Shazia Manzoor became the first performer here to get a large number of our community young ladies to dance, and the moves continued through Sajna and Balley Balley. Everyone changed their stance as Shazia sang Jeevay Pakistan, a Pakistani national song made famous by the late Shanaz Begum. And she closed the event with Mast Qalandar in which all of the people at Cesar Chavez Park participated no matter where they may have originated from.
Kudos to the team that helped to put this event together and a huge thank you to all of the sponsors. It was great to see the Green and White of Pakistan blending in with the Red, White and Blue of the United States at this event. It was also a testimonial to the fact that Pakistanis have the capacity to have a great deal of fun (and for food consumption as the long lines to the Haveli tent proved). And the women and children who made a special effort to dress for this occasion also deserve a great deal of praise.
To conclude, let us all pray for a lasting peace in South Asia and justice for the Kashmiri people who have now suffered for over 70 years. Pakistanis and Kashmiris have a special kinship that no borders can separate.
(Hope to see many community members next at The Citizens Foundation Fundraiser to be held in Elk Grove with Punjabi poet Anwar Masood on Friday, September 27th).
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