NEW YORK, Apr 15 (APP):Pakistani community members have been hard at work: delivering food, groceries and medicines to thousands of their compatriots and other needy people in and around New York, the region hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, a virtual town hall meeting was told on Tuesday.
The online meeting with the community leaders was initiated by Pakistan’s Consul General Ayesha Ali in New York to assess the situation and to further strengthen their coordination for providing maximum benefit to the Pakistani-Americans living in the lockdown region.
Ali Rashid of the American-Pakistani Advocacy Group (APAG), Shabbir Gul of the Bronx Community Council, Ajmal Chaudhry of the Pakistan League of USA, Erum Hanif of the APNA Community Center, Brooklyn, and Moviz Siddiqui of ICNA Relief, participated, a press release of the consulate said.
Ms. Ayesha Ali paid tributes to the organizations for the humanitarian work and thanked them for their contributions in a very difficult situation.
At the start of the meeting, the consul general and participants offered prayers for the members of Pakistani-American community who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and prayed for the speedy recovery of those affected by the deadly disease.
She briefed the participants on the efforts of the consulate general to facilitate and assist the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the 24/7 emergency helpline and outreach and facilitation being offered by the Consulate to the community, the press release said.
The participants gave an overview of their relief work in New York including its five boroughs, Long Island and upstate New York, and the consul general assured them of her continued cooperation and support.
To date, nearly 285,000 people have been infected in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and more than 14,000 have died.