08/16/2026
On behalf of the Friends of Pakistan Canada Association (FOPCA), I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us at Bear Creek Park to celebrate the Pakistan Independence Day with us.
What a beautiful evening it was! It was truly heartwarming to see families, children, community leaders, politicians, media representatives, volunteers and friends from across our community come together in the spirit of unity, patriotism and friendship between Pakistan and Canada.
A very special thank you to our distinguished guests:
Consul General of Pakistan Mr. Shahzad Hussain, Vice Consul Mr. Waqas Ahmed, Member of Parliament Sukh Dhaliwal, MLAs Jagrup Brar, Garry Begg and Amna Shah,
City of Surrey Councillor Mike Bose,
Mayrol candidate Mike Starchuk, Surrey Council candidate Bilal Cheema,
Surrey Council Candidate Ashiana Khan.
I am deeply honoured that MLAs Jagrup Brar, Garry Begg and Amna Shah presented me with a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of FOPCA community work. I sincerely appreciate this honour and accept it on behalf of the entire FOPCA team and our wonderful community.
A PROGRAM FILLED WITH CULTURE & PATRIOTISM
The evening began with the beautiful recitation of the Holy Quran by Saad Salis, followed by a Nasheed by Abdul Rasool Salis and the national anthems of Pakistan and Canada.
Our talented children, under the direction of Sarmah Latif, delivered wonderful performances that made us all proud.
In my address, I had the opportunity to speak about the meaning of independence and to remember the countless sacrifices made during the Partition of 1947. Our freedom came at an enormous human cost, and it is our responsibility to remember those sacrifices and pass the values of unity, faith, hope and service to the next generation.
The evening continued with wonderful speeches from Bilal Cheema and Councillor Mike Bose, followed by tremendous entertainment from renowned Pakistani comedians Saleem Albela and Rana Shafqat.
The popular Musical Chairs competitions for ladies, men and children. Congratulations to all the winners!
A special thank you to Bridgeview Motors and Galaxy Travel for providing gift prizes for our winners.
The evening concluded on a beautiful note with the incredible voice of our very talented local singer Alam Ruy, who entertained everyone with his wonderful melodies. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
This celebration would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors and community businesses:
Taste of Lahore • Royal Nawab • Hot Pan Pizza • Chicken World • Mary Brown’s Chicken – Delta • Lahori Restaurant • Gulshan Market • Bismillah Meat Market. Pakistan Halal meat. Chaiiwala of London.
And our long-time sponsors:
Syed Asif Iqbal – Insurance Advisor • Jathole Enterprise • Focus College • Northcoast Building Products. Speedo copy and prints for all the printing jobs.
A very special thank you to Mr. Anwar Pasha for providing delicious chicken and rice before the opening ceremony of his new restaurant. Your generosity and hospitality were truly appreciated. A special thank you to Royal Paan for providing delicious Pakistani Paan for all the Paan lovers.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our respected elders, Mahmood Awan, Uncle Karamdin, Uncle Ilyas Cheema, and Rana Jabbar, for taking the time to honour us with their presence and for sharing their valuable time with us.
Your presence, support, and blessings mean a great deal to us and truly made the occasion even more special. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
OUR VOLUNTEERS & FOPCA TEAM
I cannot thank our volunteers enough. From the very beginning to the very end, you worked tirelessly to make this event successful.
Our FOPCA directors played an incredible role in setting up, organizing and streamlining the entire event. My sincere appreciation to:
Aamir Bajwa – MC Kamran Hayat, Abid Chaudhry, Shammas Cheema, Ishtiaq Malik, Iftikhar Ghani, Muhammad Tahir, Haris Hafeez Khan
And a special thank you to our wonderful MC, Mr. Aamir Bajwa, for keeping the program moving so smoothly.
THANK YOU TO OUR MEDIA
We are extremely grateful to all the media organizations and personalities who helped promote, cover and share our celebration before and after the event:
Star Media- Mian Iftikhar, the first Pakistani Canadian journalist
CMMC, Shukeria Pakistan – Irfan Siddique, Swift Radio, Humara Pakistan – Shahzad Hussain, Red FM Radio, Mera Paigham Pakistan – Shahzad Nazir Khan, Connect FM Radio, Sohni Dharti – Tariq Kiani, Miracle Media – Naseer Pirzada, Canada Times – Chaudhry Sanaullah, Dil Apna Pakistan – Intikhab Ahmed, Media Waves – Ashiana Khan, Asim Sarwar Productions- Asim Sarwar, NW Productions- Naveed Warriach
Your support helped bring our celebration to an even wider audience, and we are truly grateful.
A very special thank you to Fahad for capturing our Pakistan Independence Day celebration so beautifully with his professional photography and amazing drone footage.
TO EVERYONE WHO CAME — THANK YOU!
Most importantly, thank you to each and every person who attended, participated and celebrated with us.
You were a wonderful audience, and your enthusiasm, love for Pakistan and appreciation for our community made the evening truly special.
FOPCA is proud to bring our community together to celebrate our Pakistani heritage while honouring the opportunities and values we share here in Canada.
May Pakistan continue to prosper, and may the friendship between Pakistan and Canada grow stronger with every passing year.
Pakistan Zindabad! Canada Zindabad!
With heartfelt gratitude,
Abdul Rauf Khan President Friends of Pakistan Canada Association (FOPCA)
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