Spirit of inclusiveness: Capital celebrates ‘Canada in the Fall’

Canadian High Commission donates Rs100,000 each to Mashal Model School and PCAPH.

ISLAMABAD:

It perhaps does not get more culturally inclusive than celebrating the Canadian autumn harvest by grooving to Punjabi bhangra beats.

The Canadian “South Asian fusion band” JoSH rocked the night at the “Canada in the Fall” event hosted by the High Commission of Canada on Thursday.

Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan Greg Giokas said the event was an attempt to reciprocate the hospitality Canadians have always received in Pakistan. Giokas said fall in Canada is a time of inclusiveness, when communities get together and celebrate the harvest and other blessings.

“Inclusiveness and giving back to the community are our main messages today,” Giokas said.

He said Canadians take pride in their inclusive society and the high commission would like to show that in practice not just words.

“So we are honouring two local organisations that have worked very well to give back to the community and that we discovered through our own work in the community,” the high commissioner said.

The Canadian High Commission made donations of Rs 100,000 each to the Mashal Model School and the Pakistan Cricket Association for the Physically Handicapped (PCAPH) at a brief ceremony during Thursday’s event.



Mashal Model School, located in Nurpur Shahan near the Diplomatic Enclave, provides education to around 500 underprivileged children, most of who used to sell sweets and flowers or pick trash near the Bari Imam shrine.

The school frequently receives generous donations from Islamabad’s diplomatic community, including similar donations from the Canadian High Commission in the past which were used in building a science laboratory and bathrooms at the school, Zeba Hussain, the school’s director said.

The high commissioner, who said he learned cricket during his posting in Pakistan, said the PCAPH was discovered when the high commission organised a charity cricket match in March to raise funds for the construction of a cancer hospital in Peshawar.

“Both these organisations exemplify a commitment to building strong, vibrant, inclusive and successful communities,” Giokas said.

Students from the Mashal Model School sang the Canadian and Pakistani national anthems and then joined the high commissioner for a ceremonial cake cutting.

Later, JoSH, which consists of the musician duo of Rup (Rupinder Magon), a Canadian Sikh, and Q (Qurram Hussain), a Pakistani Canadian, took centre stage.

The Montreal-based band appeared to exemplify the Canadian spirit of inclusiveness as it got the audience roaring on the dance floor with its hit Punjabi and Urdu songs.

Speaking to The Express Tribune before the event, Giokas said Pakistan should be confident in its global outlook and should not shy from opening up to the world with its exports, especially agricultural products.

“Pakistan can do great in the international markets but for that it needs to invest in infrastructure and development,” Giokas said. “If Pakistan does that, it would also help its rural communities.”

Giokas appreciated the transition from one democratically-elected government to another in Pakistan and said democracy brings its own benefits.

He said voters should be consulted on important issues, including religious freedom, and there should be an open and respectful discussion on the blasphemy laws.

The event also marked a celebration of the Canadian National Day, which falls on July 1 but could not be celebrated earlier due to renovations at the high commission. Dignitaries and representatives from foreign diplomatic missions to Pakistan, Pakistani celebrities, politicians and members of the civil society attended the celebration.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.