Celebrating South Asian talent
Stars from the international stage will descend on the West Island Friday for the Canada Pakistan Affiliated Chamber of Trade (CPACT) awards ceremony honouring local South Asian talent. The idea for the awards gala came about as a response to the lack of Canadian South Asian groups promoting local businesses and professionals excelling in their respective fields of interest. They approached members of Montreal’s South Asian community for nominations and created an event with the intended purpose of promoting diversity while focusing on the prosperity and economic development of the community. “The idea is for members of the community to nominate women because empowering them is so important, it’s time for us to take a step forward,” said vice-president of development for CPACT, Sadia Sajid, of île-Bizard. The event is being organized by Sajid, along with co-founders Hayee Bokhari, chairman Zaheer Khan and Samad Razzak, president of CPACT. They looked at the contributions of the Pakistani Canadian community and realized that while many members of the community have contributed to many facets of the greater Montreal and Canadian society, there was no sense of building a legacy or passing anything on to future generations of Canadians of South Asian heritage. “We’ve been living here for decades, we’ve been part of different organizations, we’ve all contributed to the community,” said Sajid. Sajid wanted to give back to the community by honouring its brightest stars and local talent. “CPACT wants to promote gender equality, (and) to bring younger generations to contribute to the economics of this country,” said the proud mother of two. Other than recognizing local talent and successful businesses in the community, another primary objective of the event is to increase awareness of the Pakistani entertainment industry, which Sajid describes as “one of the best in South Asia.” Hum TV recently held its awards show in Hamilton, Ont. Fans flocked from all over the country to attend the prestigious awards event. Pakistani celebrity Zahid Ahmed became CPACT’s first celebrity spokesperson earlier this year. Sajid hopes to introduce these artists to the North American market. The CPACT Choice Gala promises to be an excellent opportunity to mingle with political and community leaders for cultural and artistic exchange, as well as providing them with a boost of innovation while promoting diversity and unity within the community.
Where: Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel When: Friday, 6 p.m. Parking: included with ticket For more details visit: cpact.ca/cpact-choiceawards/tickets