‘US Pakistanis should be proud of their heritage’

WASHINGTON: In a globalised world, countries flourish because of the strength of their communities and Pakistani Americans can do a lot for Pakistan by being proud of their heritage, said Jehangir Karamat, Pakistan’s ambassador designate to the US, on Saturday.

The American Pakistanis have talents, flexibility in thinking, energy, analytical perspective and leadership skills, said Mr Karamat while speaking at the banquet hosted for participants of a two-day conference of students at the Pakistan Embassy. The two-day conference was on ‘Young Americans of Pakistani Heritage Working to Build a Better America’ under the aegis of the National Pakistani Students Association and the Rising Leaders.

Mr Karamat said that young and talented members of the Pakistani-American community should use the embassy as a base for training and direction. He said that the Pakistani community had lobbied as outsiders to the system, but someday it would enter the US political system.

Mr Karamat referred to the varied mosaic of the American society and the hard work being put in by Pakistan’s immigrant generation there.

He said that young Pakistani-Americans represent the balance between East and West. “They are a bridge between two different sets of tradition, history, culture and society. The Pakistani youth is fuelled by social responsibility and civic duty,” he added. Pakistan and the US share a vision and a set of principles and their partnership is based on the pursuit of democracy, freedom, and peace, he said.

Mr Karamat said that Pakistani expatriates should be aware of the issues that Pakistan faced both domestically and internationally. They should update themselves on Pakistan-US relations, trade issues, and geopolitics so they could properly represent Pakistan’s heritage in the foreign society, he added.

The envoy said that in the future the Pakistani American community would need politicians, academics, journalists, and artists to survive and flourish so the youth should choose their professions keeping in mind its importance and usage. “Everyone everywhere has a unique talent and is a leader in some way.

These talents and skills can be developed into something great that makes for a better individual and a better society- the key is to find yourself and your niche and then to make it a reality,” Mr Karamat added.

He said the community should work with honesty, diligence, and justice. “We should be a community that people look up to and respect and if we have the right means and the right ends, then we can accomplish anything,” he said. app

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