Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi Visits Chicago

Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi visited Chicago from May 23-May 25 to attend and deliver a key note speech at the Third Annual Leadership Convention 2003 held under the auspices of PAANA, Pakistani American Association of North America.

The leadership conference brought together many eminent Pakistanis under one roof for deliberations from all around the US and also from Pakistan and Great Britain. US legislators also attended the conference. Those attending the conference included Chairman Senate Mr Mohammadmian Soomro, Sh Rasheed Ahmed, Minister for Information, Lord Nazir Ahmed from Great Britain, Mr Ajmal Cheema, Minister of Industries Punjab, Representatives Sagheer Tahir and Robert Guida from New Hampshire, and several eminent members of the Pakistani American community.

From the US side, Congresswoman Jan Schakowski, Congressman Denny Davis, former Congressman David Bonior, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White addressed the conference.

During his keynote address at the Convention Gala Dinner, Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi underlined the need for unity among Pakistani Americans, which would lead to increase in their influence. He asked Pakistanis living in the United States to participate more vigorously at the societal, local, state, and national level in US social, cultural, educational, religious, and political activities. He said it was very important that the Pakistani community lived as model US citizens and integrated themselves in the US society. However, as friends of the US, we should not shy away from conveying our concerns to the US regarding any discrimination against Pakistanis living in the United States.

On the Pakistan-US bilateral relationship, the Ambassador underscored the increased cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism as well as the efforts of the two countries to add breadth and depth to the relationship. He said the President.s forthcoming visit to the US in June would go a long way in further institutionalizing the relationship.