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Pakistan Day Celebration at the Embassy of Pakistan
By Aisha Chapra
March 25, 2005
The Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C. celebrated
the National Day of Pakistan from March 21st to March 25th. The celebrations
started with an exhibition on the Life and Works of Jimmy Engineer, an
artist and social activist from Pakistan, on March 21. The exhibition
continued until March 25.
On the evening of March 22 Jimmy Engineer addressed a
large gathering at the Embassy auditorium, who attended for an evening
with the artist and social worker.
Ambassador Karamat welcomed the guests and acknowledged
Jimmy Engineer’s contributions. He spoke about Mr. Engineer’s
love for Pakistan, his exemplary art and his ability to rise above religious
and ethnic divides.
Dr. Akbar S. Ahmed, renowned professor, scholar and author
also spoke on the occasion. He said, “Pakistan Day challenges us
to look in the past and try to understand why Pakistan was created”.
He talked about the Quaid-e-Azam, who envisioned Pakistan to be a modern
Muslim state. Dr. Ahmed said that “Quaid-e-Azam was very ambitious
in what he wanted Pakistan to be—he wanted Pakistan to be one of
the greatest countries in the world”. We should not forget this
challenge. Pakistanis need to reflect on Pakistan Day if our nation is
moving in the right direction. He told the audience to remember the 1947
exodus—2 million people died and 15 million people were displaced.
The sacrifices that were made have not been realized as violence continues
everyday in Pakistan. “When I read about the killings of Shittes
and Sunnis, and the frequent occurrence of crime in Pakistan, it makes
me sad” Dr Ahmed said.
 Dr.
Ahmed also talked about his relationship with Jimmy Engineer. He met Mr.
Engineer during the making of the movie Jinnah. Mr. Engineer promised
that he would not leave Dr. Ahmed’s side until shooting for the
film was completed. Dr. Ahmed also mentioned that Ambassador Karamat was
another great supporter of the film.
Jimmy Engineer, Dr Ahmed said, represents the best that
Pakistan has to offer. In a world where Pakistan is surrounded with negative
images, Jimmy is a Pakistani, who is non-Muslim, a pacifist, and an artist.
Yet, Jimmy is truly as Pakistani as any Pakistani-Muslim, with a lifelong
commitment to bettering the lives of people in Pakistan.
Jimmy Engineer began his talk by claiming nature as his
source of inspiration. Nature, which comes from “Allah, who is the
greatest artist”. Jimmy Engineer remarked that his love for nature
sometimes made him move from the city to a village just to experience
nature’s beauty. He advised the audience to learn more about and
appreciate the richness and diversity that exists within the Pakistani
culture. Himself an atypical Pakistani, a Zoroastrian born in Baluchistan,
Jimmy Engineer is a symbol of the diversity that Pakistan contains.
Jimmy Engineer’s artwork represents the complexity
and diversity that he has within him. He has painted over 2000 paintings
on a variety of themes: landscape, still-life, cultural paintings, religious
paintings, seascapes, calligraphy, philosophy of colors, miniatures, abstract,
historical paintings, paintings on war, philosophical paintings, and self
portraits. He has been a professional artist since 1976, and in the past
30 years he has gained much international and national acclaim for his
artistic works.
But Mr. Engineer is not merely an artist, he is also
a social activist, and human rights champion for the oppressed. He participated
in numerous walks around Pakistan to bring attention to a variety of issues.
His first walk in 1994 was from Karachi to Peshawar. Mr. Engineer walked
4,100 kilometers, stopping at villages and meeting Pakistanis from all
walks of life.
He mentioned that he has a special place in his heart
for people with disabilities. He has tried to bring the issue to the forefront
in Pakistan by taking people with disabilities to public places, such
as hotels and restaurants, and giving them the kind of treatment and dignity
that they deserve. He has alone helped arrange over 70 of these outings.
He said “that though we call people with disabilities ‘special’
we do not give them any special treatment ”. Special treatment for
people with disabilities means truly considering them as equals in our
society and giving them the respect you give people without disabilities.
Mr. Engineer thanked the Embassy for organizing the event
and displaying both his artwork and social work. In the Q&A session,
Jimmy Engineer reiterated his inspiration came from nature except for
his Partition series. He was asked, “what sources of information
did you use to depict the partition as you were born after the partition
and painted about it in the 1970’s?” Mr. Engineer replied
that he had dreams, which he pieced together, to paint about the partition.
The series are made to evoke a feeling of duty in the younger generation
towards Pakistan and the sacrifices people made for Pakistan to come into
being. He said, “the people who lost their lives for Pakistan never
even got to see it, but they still died for it”.
The high point of Pakistan Day celebrations was on March
23. Ambassador Karamat hoisted the Pakistani Flag. The national anthem
played in the background whilst the crowd watched in silence.
After the flag hoisting ceremony Ambassador Karamat read
out National Day messages from President Musharraf and Prime Minister
Aziz. President Musharraf’s message spoke about the momentous occasion
that Pakistan Day represents. It is the day in 1940 when Muslims in South
Asia, under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, decided to create a
separate nation. He talked about the vision Quaid-e-Azam had for Pakistan.
“If we continue on this path we will, InshaAllah, be able to transform
Pakistan into a truly modern and dynamic state”.
In his message, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz expressed
his gratitude to Allah Almighty, who blessed us with a separate homeland.
Also, he gave his respect and gratitude to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the freedom
fighters, and all the people who lost their lives for freedom. He said
“Let us rededicate ourselves in attaining the ideals of an enlightened,
tolerant and moderate society; social justice and democracy, laid down
for us by the Founding Fathers and fashion our lives according to our
consecrated values”
The National Day reception started at noon in the Jamshed
Marker Hall of the Embassy. It was attended by some 500 guests. Dignitaries,
U.S. government officials and a variety of people from all walks of life
joined to celebrate the Pakistan Day. The Ambassador conferred the Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam
on Senator John Warner, Chairman of Armed Forces Committee, on behalf
of the President.
 Ambassador
Karamat spoke about the contributions Senator Warner has made to promote
Pakistan – U.S. relations. Senator Warner played an important role
in improving understanding on Pakistan’s commitment to peace and
amity amongst nations. Since the Pakistan – U.S. alliance on the
global war on terror, Senator Warner has been in the forefront to acknowledge
the vital place Pakistan holds for the United States. He has given, as
chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, extended support to the
Pakistani-U.S. defense relationship.
Senator Warner spoke about Pakistan and U.S. relations.
He recalled his days in Pakistan during the Afghanistan war and his numerous
visits to Pakistan since then. The war on terror, he stressed, is one
without borders or state, and to defeat such an enemy strong relationships
with other nations must be maintained. The senator was referring to the
strong relationship that exists between the U.S. and Pakistan today and
how it is crucial to ensure the safety of people around the world.
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