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PCA AND PCCA united to show Solidarity with victims of peshawar shooting
12-17-2014
Both Prominent Pakistani organizations counducted events to to console and show solidarity with the families of innocent students and their teachers who got brutally killed this week in Peshawar, Pakistani.
Attendees at both events held by PCA and PPCA had people from all sorts of religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
All of them were sad and mad at the loss of innocent lives, especially children’s lives. All speakers showed solidarity with the families of victims, openly denounced terrorism, showed unity, and the will to stay united against all terrorists, wherever they might be. To them, this is the time to evaluate our previous approach towards terrorism and make an effective policy to rid of the terrorism from all corners of the world.
Pakistan-Canada Association held a Candlelight Vigil for Peshawar at Surrey’s Holland Park on Wednesday December 17th. They Vehemently condemned the brutal and senseless attacks that took place in Peshawar Stating, “A tragedy of this magnitude is mind-boggling and leaves us all holding our heads in despair. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this heinous event, in particular the countless children whose candle was snuffed out far too soon.”
Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association (PCCA) held an emergency community gathering on Tuesday evening in Royal King Palace, Surrey. The program started with very emotional Mr. Naveed Waraich, President PCCA, welcoming everyone. He was having hard time controlling his emotions, just like most speakers who followed him. He stressed the point that we, Muslims, are not terrorists and whoever is a terrorist, is not a Muslim. He said that Muslims are always branded as terrorists and that is not fair with us. After this tragedy, Muslims should never be called terrorists; actually they are the greatest victims of terrorism.
Indeed, everyone was really shocked and in a state of denial that how this kind of massacre could happen! Molana Abdul Lateef Naumani sahib, Imam Fiji Islamic Center, recited Holy Quraan and reminded everyone to remember Allah (s.w.t.) whenever there is a calamity or a hard time. Shaykh Nur Jan, leader of Naqshbandi group, inspired everyone with his words of wisdom. He praised the unity among all the religious and ethnic groups present during the gathering and insisted on having unity not only during bad times but also during all the times. Furthermore, he put an emphasis on our character building. He said that when we are good human beings, society will reflect that and problems will go away. Problems arise whenever we are divided into many fractions.
Doctor Tariq, Consulate General of Pakistan, ensured all attendees that the government of Pakistan is committed to root this terrorism out of Pakistan. He pointed out a fact that Pakistan has suffered the most loss during this war on terror, including over 35000 civilian and over 5000 soldiers martyred since 2001. He thanked everyone for standing up with the Pakistani community in this difficult time. Tarik Kiani, from Sohni Dharti Pakistan, warned the forces behind all that massacre, that the fire they have started in the peace loving nation of Pakistan is going to burn them, too. They won’t be immune to it. Brother Naeem Lakhan, Ameer Ahmadia Community of BC, humbly requested authorities to find ways of changing the mind set of those who do this kind of inhumane acts. He said that lasting peace will only be achieved when those terrorists understand the true teachings of Islam.
Some of the other speakers were Mohammad Afzal Malik, Shezad Nazir, Harpreet Singh, Harry Bains (MLA), Mani Fallen (representing Government of Canada), Sukh Dhaliwal, Bruce Ralston (MLA), Sahib Thind, Jasbir Sandhu (MP), Jinny Sims (MP), G. Murtaza (representing PTI), Ijaz Chatha, Shamim Akbar, Marc Mohammad, Sis. Zanbaka Malik, and Sikandar Hayat. All speakers were visibly emotional and were having hard time finding words to describe their feelings. This tragedy left everyone scrambling for words to tell others about their feelings, but no matter how hard they tried, words could not truly describe the sorrow they had in their hearts.
In the end, Iftikhar Ghuman, Director PCCA Public Relations, thanked everyone for coming out on a very short notice, to show their support towards Pakistani community during this tough time.
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