Pakistan Independence Day Diversity Walk
Posted August 10, 2022 3:09 pm.
Last Updated August 31, 2022 11:05 am.
“Take me out of the country, but you can never take the country out of me,” said Sadia Sajid, one of an estimated 202,000 Canadians with Pakistani ancestry.
“The memories that I had of my young age when I was growing up and going back and the unity, the family, the traditions always lingered on with me,” explained the Montrealer, who is part of the Canadian Pakistan Affiliated Chamber of Trade (CPACT).
“My time spent in Pakistan even though was not that much because I was travelling all over, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and then in Canada, but that feeling of belonging the moment you land there… even when you go now, is overwhelming.”
“We want to bring that same feeling of belonging to the people so when they come there, they feel that sense of belonging. That is what we intend to do on Sunday, August 14.”
Sadia Sajid as a child. (Credit: Sadia Sajid/handout)
Pakistan, a country in South Asia, separated from India on Aug. 14, 1947.
To mark the anniversary, CPACT is holding a Pakistan Independence Day Diversity Walk with live music, food sampling and activities for kids at Parc Eugène-Dostie in Île Bizard on Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“We took the initiative of celebrating… to relay the message of unity for all South Asian cultures.”
CPACT is one of the largest Canadian-Pakistani business associations in Canada. Its primary objective is to foster stronger commercial relations between Canada and Pakistan.
“The people who have been here, doing businesses, doing jobs, giving back to the economy, that was what we wanted to boost and cultural diversity is definitely a part of it,” said Sajid.
“I’m most proud of our culture, of our roots. So regardless that I’ve been here for more than two decades, the roots that have been instilled in us, stay with us. Those are the things that we want to take to the next generation, which is the objective of CPACT, to leave a legacy for the next generation.”
Members of CPACT. (Credit: CPACT/handout)
For more on the Pakistan Independence Day Diversity Walk, visit cpact.ca
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
