Beyond the Celebration of Special Days

With some exuberance, I headed to Jack Poole Plaza on the pleasant afternoon of August 13, 2017, to attend the Pakistan Festival. My wife, Rukhsana noticed that my walking style was different than usual and she jokingly pointed out that I am marching like a soldier. I am known to have a poor posture and I must confess that I indeed was feeling like a foot soldier who was walking with a pride while wearing his well pressed fauji vardi (soldier uniform) for a special occasion. Yes, earlier in the day, I spent some extra time in preparing for this exciting ‘ march.’ I wore my College Tennis Color 1961-62, NWFP, on my sports jacket with PAKISTAN boldly printed on the back. Of course, I was feeling nostalgic about my beloved homeland and the fact that we are going to celebrate it’s Independence Day in an area which holds special meanings for me. I am known to wear caps and I wanted to wear something symbolic about Pakistan. I couldn’t find any cap with Pakistani connection except the one my older brother gave to me with Lahore’s Royal Palm Golf & Country Club logo on it. I have many fond memories of Lahore where my older brother resides. In Lahore, on many occasions when I made periodic trips to Pakistan from Canada, my brother often took me to play sports and attend musical events. My brother Lt. Gen. (retd.) Mohammad Tariq, (Sitara-e-Jurat) happens to be the Captain of the Royal Palm Golf Club and also is a sport enthusiastic like me and together we have had some memorable contests as fierce competitors. My friends are well familiar with my passion for sports and music. I put a Canada Pakistan combined pin along with a BC legislature pin on my cap. My wife, Rukhsana, of course, wore a green kameez with a white churidar pyjama. It was a great feeling to walk in public along side other green-and-white-attired folks towards the Plaza. It was an exhilarating experience and unique feelings came up particularly for me. You see, it was a long time since I last visited downtown Vancouver. I was not able to attend previous Pakistan festivals held downtown. Therefore, attending this year’s Pakistan Independence Day special occasion brought back lot of fond and pleasant memories of several significant places in downtown where I have worked and indeed it made me somewhat emotional, which Rukhsana was able to sense. I walked past by 475 Howe Street, the historic Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE) building. Wow, I have not been to this particular spot for a few years now. My friends, it was 1964 when as an Article Student, that I worked with Gunderson, Stokes & Walton Company in this very building while attending UBC. Mr. Eniar Gunderson was the former Finance Minister in W. A. C. Bennett cabinet. As I have mentioned in my book, Pakistan to Canada: A Journey, there were only very few Pakistani residing in the Vancouver Lower mainland in the 60s. I walked around Canada Place which is now an iconic national landmark welcoming visitors to the West Coast. Canada Place is a multi-use facility that includes FlyOver Canada, Pan Pacific Hotel, Port Metro Vancouver cruise ship terminal and World Trade Centre office. This site holds special and memorable connection for me during my long Public Service career with the Government of British Columbia. I have served under 10 Premiers starting with W.A.C Bennett in the 60s. Then during the 80s and 90s two internation- ally significant and momentous events took place in the Province of British Columbia. In October 1987, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held at Canada Place in Vancouver. I was appointed as a Liaison Officer of the Commonwealth Meeting. The world leaders of the Commonwealth stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel. I spent hectic and memorable days during this once in a life time opportunity at Canada Place and other various venues in downtown Vancouver. In April 1993, Canada Place was also the site of the historic Clinton-Yeltsin Summit. I was again honored to be a member of the Prime Minister of Canada’s Advance Team for the Summit. A number of related events and the famous Press Conference of President Bill Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin took place at Canada Place where I saw an unparalleled gathering of international media due to the enormity and significance of the unfolding historic event. I have shared details about such incredible experiences in my book. I consider myself fortunate to also have worked at Canada Place during the last phase of my extensive Government Service career as the Head of the Ministry responsible for Multiculturalism and Immigration for the province of British Columbia. This was a newly created government ministry, which did not exist before and I was the first Assistant Deputy Minister appointed to this challenging brand new inaugural position. I also use to go to Victoria frequently by HeliJet and on a few occasions, I flew twice in one day. The HeliJet pad is adjacent to the Canada Place. It was a great experience to work at Canada Place and I earnestly believed that I was simply a lucky person to acquire such awesome opportunities. I would see hundreds of tourists flocking to this remarkable and unique location while they took photos. Well-known post cards of this remarkable location are ever so popular. We were given some security briefing about such sites during the landmark international events held at Canada Place. Jack Poole Plaza was built after my retirement and it has truly transformed the area into an inviting and vibrant communal focal point. There, I was thrilled to see the “Welcome” sign of the Pakistan Festival. We as proud Canadians of Pakistani origin were celebrating Pakistan Independence Day at an historic and significant Vancouver site surrounded by spectacular natural beauty. We as Canadians of Pakistani origin have come a long ways since from the days when I first arrived in Canada in 1964. It was so different and in many ways difficult living then comparing to the changes and progress of present times. That day, Rukhsana and I came to the Festival with the mindset that we were really going to enjoy this significant day amongst our fellow Canadians and that we would stay until the last song was played at the end of the day. I wanted to eat kulfi so badly upon arrival at the Plaza as it reminded me of the time while I was growing up in Pakistan. I wanted to take in every enjoyable moment and to gaze at the surrounding and buildings, reminiscing past times etched into my memories forever. I asked Rukhsana to please get me two of my favorite pista (pistachio) kulfis while I tried to find a place to sit down. We mingled and chatted with some youngsters and sat at a table with them for some time. We had an interesting discussion about our growing community and I agreed with them that I would share some things to inspire newcomers. In this regard there is a reason for mentioning some of my assignments at the Canada Place. I want all of us as Canadians of Pakistani origin to feel rightfully capable and equal in making our adopted country of Canada the best place in the world to live in. I was happy and with a sense of pride to walk all around the Plaza. I saw families, children, youngsters and elders. I saw green and white dresses adorned by many. I noticed members of other communities enjoying our festivities. There were long line-ups for our tasty cuisine. There was upbeat music enthusiastically welcoming everyone. The smile on our faces was contagious among the large crowd. To top this off there was another unique ingredient that is priceless and unequal in comparison to anywhere else in the world; the spectacular setting, the beautiful scenery and the breathtaking views of British Columbia’s natural beauty. The water and mountains were the backdrop of the stage where colorful displays and events relating to our homeland unfolded throughout the day. We enjoyed the last musical event with usual fervour and excitement. After the last song was sung, I thanked some of the volunteers and organizers for their tireless efforts and headed home with the very positive feelings. Given my past ties to downtown Vancouver from over a half century ago and then to see throngs of Canadians of Pakistani origin celebrating Pakistan Independence Day certainly gave me chills. I was always desperately on the lookout for any thing “Pakistani” when I first arrived in British Columbia and was dismayed to find almost nothing. And now, to smell the aroma of our homeland, through the cuisine of Pakistan that was so prevalent in the air at the heart of Vancouver was a memorable event for me. The green white colors were in full display. The sound of the Pakistani and Canadian anthems echoing loudly was so sweet. I reflected on our lively conversations with some youngsters earlier at the table when I was having my chicken tikkas. They were interested in my perspective of how things have changed since I came here to study at UBC in the early 60s. Mr. Intkhab Ahmed of Dil Apna Pakistan asked me to share my thoughts about my feelings regarding the event and from the perspective of someone who has been here for a while. Let me take this opportunity to share some of my observations and thoughts here. I think it is great to have such festivals and events to celebrate our heritage and culture. We should continue with this since it has many benefits and I totally support such events. We must convey our thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Having said this, I would very much like to see us embark on other important arenas for the long-term benefits of our particular community. We must realize that if our main focus and preoccupation remain on celebrating certain special “days,” then we are being short-sighted. I am interested in highlighting our unique identity, heritage, values, traditions and other significant elements of our rich history. I am alluding to the inspirational message of our visionary leaders like Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam in this context. They aspired us to do more for mankind. There are other important and significant areas where we should show the same excitement and commitment as we do in preparing and attending events and festivals. We are fortunate to live in Canada, where multiculturalism is fostered and appreciated. We live in harmony and in peace amongst the fellow Canadians who migrated from all over the world. There is necessity of maintaining our own unique identity and heritage. In my book I wrote about the concept of Multiculturalism. I stated that; “... Some of the criticism of Multiculturalism in Canada is partly due to the erroneous portrayal of the intent and objectives of the whole concept. Our preoccupation with the ethnic display of folk songs, dance and food, for example is only one element of a heritage. The challenge is to instill attitudinal and behavioral change for the better, where we can all live in harmony. It will only come with more meaningful engagement in understanding and learning our diverse people’s history and cultural values.” Please also refer to a previous article “Pakistan to Canada: The Journey Continues,” in which I raised six points for our community and organizations to consider for priorities of Canadians of Pakistani origin. I highlighted the critical need for a comprehensive strategic action plan for community development and the need for our active involvement in the Canadian political process. I believe that it is in our community’s best interest to tackle such urgent and somewhat neglected pressing issues sooner then latter. We are of course living in challenging times. Our faith and identity is also under increased scrutiny and regrettably its portrayal is often biased and erroneous. There are other urgent reasons and needs for effective resources building for our rapidly growing community. I want to raise here three questions for our community and organizations to ponder and respond to: 1. Beside the commemoration of certain special days, what else should we be doing for the good of our growing community in BC? 2. What should our priorities and objectives be as Canadians of Pakistani origin living in BC? The interest of women, youngsters should be kept in mind for various valid reasons. 3. How specifically can we accomplish our goals and objectives? In other words, after the analysis there ought to be a clear action plan and timeline to accomplish agreed upon goals and objectives. We should welcome such a discussions and I know various suggestions have been already put forward in this regard. Some friends know very well that I have been trying to stimulate interest in our community for sometime now regarding this critical issue. We often have informal discussions in this regard. I continue to remain optimistic since I see some promising signs for a better future. I particularly urge the younger generation to take timely initiatives in furthering community development work. I do recognize that in order to move forward, it would require cooperation and genuine commitment from all stakeholders and partners. No doubt, with better understanding and collective efforts, we can make a positive difference. InshAllah, I shall continue my journey with Allah’s forgiveness, blessings and guidance. Ameen.