Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
FIRST ANNUAL OVERSEAS PAKISTANIS WELFARE AUSTRALIA EVENT HELD IN LIVERPOOL SYDNEY
Federal MP Laurie Ferguson, Mumtaz Mian and Dr Ali Sarfraz
The first annual Overseas Pakistanis Welfare Australia Event was held on 28 November at 185, Bigge Street Liverpool Sydney at the Hilda Davies Community Centre. The event was attended by Federal MP Laurie Ferguson, Federal MP Chris Hayes, Member of Liverpool Paul Lynch MP, Leaders of the Sikh Community, Religious Leaders and over 60 Members of the Pakistan Community.
The key note speaker Dr Mohammed Rehman Jan of Liverpool hospital discussed the issues surrounding hepatitis and also fielded questions from the audience on treatment options, prevention strategies and discussed the severity of the disease and its impact on Pakistanis both in Australia and Abroad.
The event also introduced the new Association to the community and highlighted its proactive approach in looking to solve key social issues affecting the Pakistani Community. The way in which things were discussed was in an open forum setting with everyone’s opinions heard and suggestions made directly to Members of Parliament. The event was also attended by other cultures highlighting the interfaith message of the association.
The Members of Parliament in attendance including MP Chris Hayes, MP Paul Lynch and MP Laurie Ferguson put their strong support behind the newly formed Association, commending it on its bold approach to solving social problems and being a Association that is truly representative and reflective of the communities needs.
The President of the Association, Dr Ali Sarfraz also highlighted the key premise of the Association and discussed the issue of Prostate Cancer. The issue was well received by those in attendance and was informative for those who previously did not have much knowledge on the topic.
The Vice President and General Secretary Mr Mumtaz Mian also discussed key issues with MP Laurie Ferguson and emphasized a collaborative approach to addressing the key needs of the Pakistani Community.
Mr Adnan Meher
The Youth President/Joint Secretary Mr Adnan Meher chaired the event, and also raised other issues directly with the MPs in attendance such as direct flights from Sydney/Melbourne to Lahore/Karachi/Islamabad which would be beneficial from a social, economic and political perspective. Another issue raised was a burial site for the Pakistani/Muslim Community within Sydney.
