Over 400 Pakistani-Americans hold Washington Convention to pool ideas, experience

WASHINGTON, April 15 (APP):More than 400 members of the Pakistani-American community from across the United States converged on the Pakistan Embassy in Washington to hold threadbare discussion on coordinating efforts to promote the diaspora as a cohesive entity and an effective voice in the this multi-cultural society.
The Pakistani-American Community and Youth Convention brought together people who have excelled in their areas of profession including entrepreneurs, academics, artists and public officials and office holders, to share their ideas and experience. Officials from the U.S. State Department and USAID also made a presentation on the ongoing cooperation in various areas between Pakistan and the United States.
The convention was themed Connecting the dots and provided a common platform to these distinguished individuals to explore areas and share success stories in their respective field.
Pakistans Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry welcomed the participants of the convention and hoped that young Pakistani-Americans would continue to enrich various facets of the American society and life by excelling in their chosen fields.
He stressed that an engaged and civic-minded expatriate community was key to enhancing mutual goodwill and understanding between Pakistan and the United States. The Ambassador also lauded their role in bringing the two countries together by forging strong people-to-people relations.
The daylong Convention was divided into panel discussions and presentations, which were punctuated by cultural and musical performances that showcased the diversity of Pakistans rich heritage.
The six panel discussions were focused on Youth Engagement; Role of Women; Voice in Academia and Think Tanks; Civic Engagement; Harmony Through Art and Literature; and Entrepreneurs. Each panel comprised Pakistani-Americans who had distinguished themselves in the subject area.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Martha Patterson from the US State Department said that Pakistan and the United States have been partners for over 70 years. She stated that building on and improving this historical long-standing partnership is critical to both our nations. She also mentioned that two-way trade reached $6.4 billion in 2017, an all-time high.
Thanking the U.S. officials for their participation, Ambassador Chaudhry acknowledged the United States historic contribution towards the economic and social development of Pakistan.
Pakistans Consuls General in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston were also present and participated in an interactive session on the provision of consular services to the Pakistani-American communities in their areas of jurisdiction.
Based on the conventions recommendations, an Outcome Document was adopted that enumerated the key ideas discussed during the Convention. Ambassador Chauhry stressed that the Embassy would continue to provide a platform for Pakistani-Americans to network and interact for articulation and attainment of common objectives.
The Convention concluded with the participants joining together in the spirited rendition of a national song.