Drumbeat of patriotism echoes Independence Day spirit of Pakistani expatriates

Tanvir Usman, Staff Reporter

Pakistanis residing in the UAE celebrated the country’s 75th Independence Day with national ardour and paid glowing tributes to the founding fathers.

The expatriates belonging to different walks of life came together to mark the Independence Day hosted by the Overseas Pakistanis United Forum (OPUF) in Ajman.

Senior officials of the Pakistani Consulate, civil society members, businessmen and leaders of the political parties including the PTI, PPP, PML-N and ANP took part in the celebrations and termed the UAE their second home.

Strict coronavirus measures were put in place to ensure the safety of the participants.

While addressing the gathering, Pakistan’s Consul General (CG) in Dubai Hassan Afzal Khan hailed the historic UAE-Pakistan relations and congratulated the expatriate community on the occasion.

He acknowledged their contribution towards lifting the country’s economy by sending record remittances.

Khan said that he was aware of the expats’ problems and would leave no stone unturned in solving them at the earliest.

“I will do my best to serve the entire Pakistani community without any partiality. My doors are open to all. I am concerned about the problems of my compatriots and will play my part to address them.”

Khan urged community members to take full advantage of the mobile app “PakInDubai” and pledged to launch its Urdu version in the near future.

Mian Munir Hans, one of the founding members of the OPUF, while highlighting the importance of Independence Day, said that the hearts of overseas Pakistanis always beat for their motherland and whenever there were natural calamities or any kind of difficulties in Pakistan, expatriates always played a key role and were in the forefront to help their countrymen in every possible way.

The ANP President in the UAE, Abdullah Khan, highlighted the issues of mobile phone taxes the expats face when they land at the Pakistan airports and requested the Consul General to take up this matter with the government in Islamabad.

The OPUF thanked UAE’s social and business personality Dr Bu Abdullah for attending the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations.

It also praised the UAE government’s laws and safety measures and thanked the authorities for taking care of people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The honorary shields were awarded to prominent political, social, business, literary and media personalities in recognition of their services for the community members.

A UAE-based Pakistani singer, Nazia Amin, enthralled the audience with national songs.

Zubair Khan, a resident of Sharjah, hailed the excellent fraternal relations between Pakistan and the UAE and stated that the ties have remained on an upward surge in all fields in recent years and the focus remained on the promotion of Pakistan-UAE bilateral relations through trade, culture, high level visits and people to people contacts.

He hoped that Pakistan’s relations with the UAE will continue to grow from strength to strength under the visionary leadership of both countries.

The UAE  is close to hosting Expo 2020 in Dubai, and we Pakistanis are pleased to be a part of the world’s most important exhibition, he added.

Irfan Awan and others cut a ceremonial cake to mark the 75th Independence Day.

Also during the day, PTI held an event in the UAE to celebrate the 75th Independence Day.

Party’s former president in the UAE Irfan Awan praised Prime Minister Imran Khan’s progressive policies and urged the expatriate community to portray a positive image of Pakistan to the world.

Meanwhile, Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates to Pakistan, extended congratulations to the government and people of Pakistan on the occasion of the country’s 75th Independence Day.

Al Zaabi visited the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and paid tribute to Pakistan’s founding father.

The UAE Embassy in Pakistan tweeted: “Hamad Obaid Alzaabi, the UAE Ambassador in Islamabad: celebrating Pakistan’s 75th independence anniversary, we recall with respect the Great Leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his great efforts & achievements, express our respect for the people and leadership of this great country."