Embassy Host A Dinner of APPNA SAYA

A Pakistani-American youth group known as the Society of APPNA’s Young Adult (APPNA SAYA) hosted its annual dinner at the Embassy of Pakistan. The dinner was a part of annual meetings of Association of Pakistan Physicians of North America (APPNA) which was held in Washington D.C. this year.

APPNA SAYA chose to hold their annual dinner at the Embassy because they felt that the Embassy, as an organization that has launched a number of youth-centered initiatives including internship program, and the National Pakistani Students Associations, encourages Pakistani-American youth to become organized and involved in political and charitable work.

“The Embassy initiatives are in line with our goals and so it [the Embassy] is a great place to hold our dinner.” explained Sahar Dar, SAYA’s president-elect.

As one of the few national Pakistani-American youth groups in the United States, SAYA would like to use their size and influence not only for charity work, but also for political activism, said Sahar Dar.

The evening began with a panel discussion. Members of Pakistani-American Leadership Initiative (PALI) along with Embassy’s interns sat on the panel and spoke on the need for the community’s youth to become politically active. The PALI members encouraged the students to do their part as constituents by calling legislators about issues important to the Pakistani-American youth and by voting in the upcoming presidential election.

Mr. Mohammad Sadiq, the Deputy Chief of Mission, who spoke on the occasion and took questions from the audience, urged the students to pursue careers not only in medicine and engineering but also in journalism, law, politics and international affairs. By attaining success in a variety of professions, the Pakistani-American youth is in a position to influence the policies of the United States and hence contribute to the welfare of Pakistan and Pakistani-American community, said Mr. Sadiq.

Following the panel discussion, the crowd of nearly 200 young adults enjoyed dinner and a musical performance.

11 June, 2004