14 August 1947 was the day when people of subcontinent got their independence from British Empire. 72 years ago, history observed one of the biggest and violent exodus in the world, with shattered people having dreams in their eyes to have a better future. During the migration from both sides of the newly constituted India and newly formed Pakistan many people lost their lives and their loved ones. The day also commemorates the untiring efforts made by the freedom fighters, intellects, politicians and the dreams of the people to attain independence.

On 14 August 2019, Pakistani diaspora gathered at the High Commission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate their independence day. The event started at 10:00 am. People from all walks of life living in Kuala Lumpur and nearby cities attended the event.

Children from Pakistani community presented tableau on patriotic songs depicting the diverse culture of country. The energy and the enthusiasm by the attendees is worth mentioning. Despite of the working day in Kuala Lumpur, people attended the event to show their love for the country.

Chargé d’Affaires to Malaysia, H.E. Atif Sharif Mian hoisted the Pakistani flag and national anthem was played on the occasion.

H.E. Mian Atif addressed the audience about the historical significance of 14th of August, the meaning of independence and the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.

A message from Honorable Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan was read to the audience. The message emphasized on the request to expats to work hard on the “positive image” of the country.

Message from Honorable Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, was also read which highlighted the sacrifice made by the Pakistanis and armed forces to cope with the challenge of terrorism. His message also included the recent efforts made by government regarding the unrest within the region of South Asia due to Kashmir issue.

Lunch followed the event for the attendees. The event ended at 12:30 pm.

I would to thank my fellow Pakistani local guides living in Malaysia, Akmal Bajwa and Syed Haseeb who attended the event as a google guide meet up, out of their busy schedule. The purpose of this meet up was to highlight the sacrifices made by the people of sub-continent to pursue their dream for a better world.

Our meet up ended up on the prayer that despite of the recent tensions in south Asia, we hope to see a prosperous region one day and people-to-people communication among different countries should never be underestimated. In this respect, google meet ups in a multi-cultural and international city like Kuala Lumpur is one of the big opportunities to narrow the gap between the people. I would like to thank all the Malaysian google local guide community which comprises individuals from Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, China and various other countries, who had always encouraged and supported each other to explore different cultures, ideologies and to contribute more to the Google in hoping to have a better future for our generations. In the end, I would like to congratulate Pakistanis a very happy independence day as well as to the Indians on their independence day. Keep pursuing the dream of better future not only for ourselves but for everyone.