Last Saturday, August 14, the Pakistani Community celebrated their seventy-fourth year of independence, and for the first time the community had been able to celebrate on the east side of Toronto. This was made possible by the generosity of the new owners of Active Marketplace, Durham’s new flea market.

Among the many guests in attendance, together with quite a few vendors, was none other than MP Salma Zahid who represented the riding of Scarborough Center. Being one of a few members of the Pakistani community in parliament, Ms Zahid had quite a day; she attended about 6 events that day, travelling from Milton to Scarborough to Brampton, Ajax and back to Mississauga for an evening event.

The sacrifices that were made in Pakistan to get their independence, and the sacrifices made by her Ms Zahid’s family were significant – her father served in the Pakistani army for five years, while her brother is brigadier in the present Pakistani army.

As we celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day we thank all the Pakistani Canadians for the great contributions they have made to Canada, one of the most multicultural countries and one of the best countries in the world in which to live. People around the world are envious of Canada, and the Canadians of Pakistani origin have played an important role in making sure that this remains one of the best countries in which to live and raise a family.

In the last 18 months our front-line workers, our doctors and nurses have put their lives at risk. We are proud to say that there are a lot of doctors and nurses from the Pakistani Community who work on the line to fight this epidemic.

With respect to the upcoming Federal elections, Ms Zahid mentioned that each and every one of the people needs to get involved. She added that it’s important for our next generation to know how this democracy works and why is it important to have representation, whether it’s be in House of Commands, Queens Park or City Hall.   These are the places to have our representatives sit at the table where decisions are made in order to raise issues that are affecting our communities.

To celebrate the independence the owners of Active Marketplace flea market have started a new food bank; bags of foodare left at the entrance and exit of the flea market. Each family is allowed to take one bag. Manager of the flea market, Malik, announced that would be lots of innovations coming as the market grows.

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