US Consulate celebrates Thanksgiving with Pakistani camel cart driver's family

US Consulate invited Sarban’s family over for a traditional American meal
Web Desk | November 27, 2015

PHOTO: FACEBOOK/USCONSULATEKARACHI

The US Consulate in Karachi invited for Thanksgiving dinner the family of a Pakistani camel cart driver who was invited in 1961 by then US vice president Lyndon Johnson to America.

When a US vice president invited a Pakistani camel cart driver to America

Hosted by Consul General Heath, the US Consulate invited Bashir Ahmad Sarban’s family for a traditional American meal and shared with them many Thanksgiving traditions.

Consul General Brian Heath hosted the #Thanksgiving dinner at his residence and invited several American diplomats along with Mr. Bashir’s family. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


One of the best #Thanksgiving traditions is talking about what you are thankful for with your loved ones and friends. Consul General Heath and Mr. Bashir’s sons reminisced about Mr. Bashir’s memory. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


The traditional #Thanksgiving meal starts with “saying grace” or a prayer. Consul General Heath prayed for peace, prosperity and happiness in Pakistan, United States and rest of the world. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


Perhaps the most difficult part of #Thanksgiving dinner is to carve the turkey. As the host, Mr. Heath did the honors. Though it looks quite easy, it requires a lot of skill to master the perfect slice! PHOTO: FACEBOOK


We all had a great time with the kids. Consul General Heath teased some of them for not eating vegetables. They all saved room for dessert, though! PHOTO: FACEBOOK


No #Thanksgiving feast is complete without traditional desserts. Our little guests greatly enjoyed pumpkin and apple pies. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


The Wishbone Tradition – This fun #Thanksgiving custom includes two people, each taking one end of a turkey breastbone, making wishes, and pulling simultaneously for it to break. The lucky person who ends up with the larger piece of the wishbone will have their wish come true! We wonder what these little ones wished for. Toys or books? PHOTO: FACEBOOK



Another popular #Thanksgiving tradition is watching old family videos with the family. We arranged a special screening of the old footage from Mr. Bashir’s US visit and relished the nostalgia. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


The video screening was a great experience for us all. Mr. Bashir’s sons were able to identify some of the memorable instances their father had narrated about his US trip. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


Mr. Bashir’s grandchildren were fascinated to see their grandfather on the video for the first time. We gave them a copy of the video as a #Thanksgiving present. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


An important part of the evening was the fond recollection of Mr. Bashir. Consul General Heath presented some memorable photographs of Mr. Bashir’s US trip to the family. PHOTO: FACEBOOK


Earlier, in a nostalgic video shared by the US Consulate General Pakistan on their Facebook page, Sarban's sons recalled how former US president Lyndon Johnson invited their father to America.

“Our father was carrying goods on a camel cart when he saw a blockade on the Karsaz road and upon investigation he found out that then US vice president Lyndon Johnson was visiting,” one of Bashir Ahmed Sarban’s son recalls in the video.

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But it was no ordinary tale. When Johnson saw Sarban stuck in traffic with his camel cart, he approached him and said he would like to become his friend. “When Lyndon Johnson saw our father with the camel cart, he stopped. He then met our father and shook his hand. Johnson asked our father if he would like to become his friend. My father said yes,” the son continued. Johnson extended an invite to Sarban to visit the US.

Watch the video here:

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