Pak community in Paris buoyed by Arshad's feat

The Pakistani community in Paris celebrated the Independence Day on August 14, marking it as special due to Arshad Nadeem's incredible feat here on August 8 where he broke the Olympic record with a massive 92.97m in the javelin throw event.

One of the older members of the Pakistani community, Raja Karamat Ali was present at the Pakistan embassy in Paris with his grandsons and distributed badges made especially for 14th August with the athlete's pictures in action.

"I want to congratulate everyone on Independence Day, and want to say that this day has been made special this time by Arshad Nadeem. He is a gift from Allah to Pakistan," Ali told this correspondent. "Pakistan Zindabad."

When asked what Arshad's feat means for French Pakistanis, he got emotional and asked his grandson to speak on it. "It is a matter of pride for us, what Arshad has done. I was born and bred here, but when the Olympics began I started looking as to which athletes were coming from Pakistan. Arshad was there and I made it a point to watch his event and how he won it," he said.

"It made me and everyone so proud, even when he went to the embassy after the win, we got our photos taken with him. He is a hero to all of us. I feel this is a chance for the next generation to get inspired. We just need help, time, and investment, for Pakistan to become a major nation in sports," said Raja Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad spoke to this correspondent after the flag hoisting ceremony with Pakistan's national anthem playing in the background, official address, and reception for the community.

When asked what he misses the most from home in the context of Independence Day he explained: "I miss the processions on the streets, waving flags, especially at night, because I am from Lahore, so we used to go out on Mall Road, Liberty Market and all that. That is the kind of festivity we always miss when we are abroad. I think here at the embassy today, it was as festive a mood.

"We have much more people on this Independence Day than usual, especially women and children which is a very good thing. The celebrations were enhanced because of Arshad's medal. People are really very motivated and proud, so many things have come together."

There was a Quranic recitation before the ambassador's address.

The messages of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan were read out on the occasion.

The Ambassador said that we needed to draw guidance from the words of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah when he said, "If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, especially of the masses and the poor." Children also performed tableau and were given refreshments with traditional Pakistani food in the heart of Paris. The program also featured a qawwal who was entertaining the guests with the tune and lyrics of 'Dil Dil Pakistan'.