PARIS:
The Pakistani community in Paris celebrated Independence Day on August 14, making it special because of Arshad Nadeem’s incredible feat here on August 8, where he broke the Olympic record with a whopping 92.97 meters in the javelin event.
One of the senior members of the Pakistani community, Raja Karamat Ali was present at the Pakistani embassy in Paris with his grandchildren and distributed badges specially made for August 14 with photos of the athlete in action.
“I want to congratulate everyone on Independence Day and I 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 Zidabad”.
When asked what Arshad’s feat means to French Pakistanis, he got emotional and asked his grandson to talk about it. “It’s a matter of pride for us, what Arshad has done. I was born and brought up here, but when the Olympics started I started looking up which athletes were coming from Pakistan. Arshad was there and I made it a point to watch his event and how he won her,” he said.
“He made me and everyone so proud, even when he went to the embassy after the win, we took our pictures with him. He is a hero to us all. I feel this is an opportunity for the next generation to be inspired. We just need help, time and investment to make Pakistan a major nation in sports,” said Raja Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad spoke to this correspondent after the flag hoisting ceremony with the national anthem of Pakistan playing in the background, the official address and the welcome to the community.
When asked what he misses most about home on Independence Day, he explained, “I miss the parades on the streets, waving flags, especially at night because I’m from Lahore, so we used to go out on Mall Road. Liberty Market and all that is the kind of celebration we always miss when we’re abroad, I think it was such a festive mood.
“We have a lot more people this Independence Day than usual, especially women and children, which is really good. The celebrations have been boosted because of Arshad’s medal. People are really motivated and proud, so many things have come together .”
This was followed by a recitation of the Koran before the ambassador’s speech.
On the occasion, the messages of the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan were read.
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 concentrate entirely and exclusively on the well. it belongs to the people, especially the masses and the poor.” The children also presented tableaux and were given refreshments with traditional Pakistani food in the heart of Paris.
The program also featured a qawwal who entertained the guests with the tune and lyrics of ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’.
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