NEW YORK, Aug 17 (APP): The green-crescent-and star was raised on Wednesday at Bowling Green, a historic spot in New York City, to mark Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day, with Ambassador Masood Khan telling community members that the country is on course towards attaining political stability and economic viability.
“Pakistan is a great country, a resilient nation,” he told the cheering gathering in which Mayor Eric Adams and his administration’s top officials, including Pakistani-Americans, were present.
Bowling Green, the City’s oldest park, was the venue where the British colonial flag was lowered and America’s Stars and Stripes was raised in 1783. Last year Mayor Adams raised — for the first time — Pakistan’s flag, alongside the American flag, at the same spot on the country’s 75th anniversary.
At Wednesday’s ceremony, Ambassador Masood Khan hoisted the Pakistan flag, while Mayor Adam raised the US flag.
Organized by the mayor’s office, the ceremony was conducted by Asim Rehman, a Pakistani who is New York City’s
commissioner and chief administrative law judge of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). Rehman is the first Muslim-American and the first person of South Asian descent to lead OATH.
Also present were other senior City government officials of Pakistani origin– Ahsan Chughtai and Atia Shahnaz.
“I’m proud to see that today so many Pakistanis are prominent in the city government,” Ambassador Masood Khan said,
noting that New York is known as the capital of the world as it hosts the United Nations Headquarters.
“I see Pakistanis present here — many of you in traditional Pakistani dresses in the colours of the Pakistani flag,” the Pakistani envoy said under bright sunshine after days of wet, cloudy weather.
The Ambassador told them not to pay attention to rumours that Pakistani Americans have given up on Pakistan’s economy. “Don’t lose faith in Pakistan,” he said, stressing that the U.S. is “your homeland, but Pakistan is your motherland– and that strong bond will not be severed”.
Pointing out that Pakistani-Americans had remitted $3 billion to Pakistan in the past fiscal year– the same amount they sent the previous year — he said that fact belies the claims that the Pakistani-American community had lost faith in the country’s economy.
“There is no room for despair and despondency”, Ambassador said, urging the community members to seek authentic information about Pakistan, not pay attention to “fake narratives”.
A resilient country, Pakistan would have an impressive growth rate this year, and is poised to take off, he said amid “Pakistan Zinda Bad” slogans. “We want you — the Pakistani-American community — in general and New Yorkers in particular, to be part of that experience to be part of
that undertaking.”
Ambassador Masood Khan thanked Mayor Adams for his presence, saying he was doing a “marvelous” job.
“I want to thank you for taking many of the prominent Pakistani-Americans in your cabinet — so you made us proud and
you’ve honoured not only individuals, you have honoured the entire nation,” he said. “Thank you so much for your support to the Pakistani-American community. Thank you so much for integrating them into New York’s rich social, and economic fabric.”
Thanking the Ambassador, Adams said since he took over as mayor last year, New York has become an open city.
“This is not my city. We don’t all go to one place — we don’t all go to one place to eat or one place to raise our children. We don’t all dress the same. We don’t all talk the same (language). But there is an ability to learn from each other. Because we’re going to find the answers to global problems.’
“We have been together for so many years– fighting against those with Islamophobia, fighting against those who want to
attack those who wear hijab or turbans,” the mayor said, adding, “We have been standing side-by-side.”
“So I thank you for allowing me to participate in this flag raising, Happy Independence Day to an amazing country’s 76 years,” Mayor Adams added,