Sharjah resident’s solidarity walk for Pakistan
Pakistani residents spread patriotic cheer at the Dubai Consulate. Kamal Kassim/Gulf Today
Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter
Dr Akram Chaudhry, a resident of Sharjah for the last 38 years, has been celebrating the country’s Independence Day in his own unique way: by walking all the way to the Dubai Consulate.
“Since 2015, I have been doing this solidarity walk in the remembrance of thousands of migrants who reach their new homeland Pakistan after walking for months during the Partition in 1947,” he said.
Chaudhry started early in the morning at 4am from Pakistan Social Centre Sharjah (PSCS) and reached the Consulate General in Dubai after walking for 5 hours and 13 minutes.
He was warmly received by the Consulate officials who appreciated his solidarity walk he has been doing for years.
Chaudhry is a medical doctor by profession, practising in his clinic in Sharjah. He has four children and living in the UAE.
Earlier, 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.
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.
“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.”
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.
