3 March, 2014 Contents:

Page 1: From the Desk Page 2: Appointment of HIC, Perth Prayers required Harmony Champions Program Dr. Farah Adeeb late Donate Life Page 3: Yr.12 Information evening at UWA Australian Friends of Pakistan Page 4: Pakistan Day on 23rd March 2014 Page 5: Alumni Awards Page 6: PIA Media release

rd

Vol.4 Issue 5

FROM THE DESK

Grief stricken nation

On 16th February, Taliban claimed beheading twenty three Frontier Corps personnel in Pakistan. These were kidnapped in 2010 and later news revealed that this shameful act was carried in the territory of Afghanistan which is still to be confirmed. Every Pakistani condemns the brutal killing of its soldiers. It is also unfortunate that the global media did not give appropriate coverage to this incident. May Allah the great provides comfort to the bereaved families of these brave souls.

Paris Rafique Late

Thank you very much for all those who contributed to support the family of late Paris Rafique. A generous amount was collected and his friends who were behind this initiative have provided the copy of the bank draft that was given to the bereaved father. We have decided not to include that image as it may be a violation of privacy laws to disclose the account details

Office bearers
President: Dr. Zarrin Siddiqui Secretary: Ms. Fatima Khushnud piasecretary@hotmail.com Treasurer: Ms. Maria Farooq piatreasurer@hotmail.com

Pakistanis in Australia Inc. is an incorporated group to support students and migrants in their settlement and to initiate projects in Australia and Pakistan that promote mutual collaboration between two countries and promote a positive image of Pakistan and Australia. For membership, please submit your details at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YM66H9Q

46 Kanangra Crescent, Greenwood WA 6024. Ph. 0434841705, pakistanis.in.australia@gmail.com @piainc

COMMUNITY UPDATES

Hon. Investment Counsellor for Perth

We welcome the appointment of Engr. Colin Roberts as the Hon. Investment Counsellor in Perth. We are also extremely delighted that the Hon. Counsel has accepted our invitation to attend Pakistan day Dinner as the Guest of Honor.

Prayers required
Arsalan Umer arrived Australia last year on student visa. He has been unwell for quite sometime and is now confined to bed. His medical insurance was limited to accidental emergencies and that his instant ailment was not medically covered. The family of Arsalan has been assured they should not feel alone as the whole Pakistani community is behind Arsalan. Both Counsel General of Pakistan in Sydney and High Commissioner of Pakistan in Canberra are providing support to Arsalan. Please keep him in your prayers.

Harmony Champions Program

The Office of Multicultural Interests has asked us to provide names of volunteers to be included in the Online Honour Roll which will be availble from 21st March. Five names were provided after due consideration. A state event is also planned for the Harmony day which will be attended by three delegates on behalf of the Group.

Dr. Farah Adeeb Late

Dr. Farah Adeeb was laid to rest on 17th February, 2014 and we express deep grief on her demise to the family. It is indeed a great loss to her friends and family.

YEAR 12 INFORMATION EVENING

Information session for Year 12 students and their parents Tue, 11 Mar 2014 18:00 - Alexander Lecture Theatre, UWA Arts Building If you're a Year 12 student (or a parent of a Year 12 student), this session will provide information about UWA's courses, admission requirements and how to achieve your study and career goals. UWA Prospective Students Office staff will be on hand to answer your queries following the presentation. URL: http://www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/about/events/year-12-students/yr12-info For more information: UWA Prospective Students Office admissions@uwa.edu.au 08 6488 2477

As the month of March begins, the preparations for Pakistan Day are now in full swing. It is indeed a pleasure to announce that Engr. Colin Roberts, the Honorary Investment Counsellor will be the Guest of Honour for our event planned for 23rd March, 2014. We also have confirmations from Hon. Ken Travers, Shadow Minister for Transport; Agriculture and Food; Infrastructure Hon. Margaret Quirk, Shadow Minister for Emergency Services; Bushfire Preparedness; Citizenship; Multicultural Interests. Cr. Liam Gobbert, the Deputy Mayor of Joondalup will be representing the Mayor at the event. This event is supported by the Office of Multicultural Interests through Harmony Champions Grant to acknowledge the volunteers of the group as well as a small grant through community development funding from the City of Joondalup. Mortgage Solutions Australia is also a bronze sponsor of the event. The event comprises dinner and performances. If you have not purchased the tickets as yet you can buy them online at http://www.trybooking.com/EGIT. Hassan Jehangir is our official photographer for the evening.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM
6.30 pm 7.00 pm Welcome Recitation

6.30 -10 pm

National Anthems 7.15 pm Speeches Launch of PIA Annual Report 7.40 pm 7.50 pm Pak Aussie Friendship Initiative Dinner followed by Performances

TICKETS: $33.00 per person incl. GST, Kids 12 16 years ($22.00 per child inc. GST) and kids under 12 are free
but require a ticket available through Management Committee. Seats limited so available on first come first served basis.

AUSTRALIAN ALUMNI EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2014 PAKISTAN

The Australian Alumni Excellence Awards recognise and honour alumni who have attained exemplary achievements in their field of specialisation at a national, regional or international level, as well as those who have contributed significantly to the betterment of Australian education and their institution or alumni community. Austrade invites Australian higher education and vocational education and training institutions, state government offices in South Asia, industry associations or networks to put forward nominations for these awards, which will be presented to Pakistani students who have studied in Australia and have excelled in their field of study or subsequent area of work. With a strong base of Australian alumni in Pakistan, Austrade acknowledges and recognises the efforts and contributions made by alumni, which enhances the reputation of their institution and the alumni community. Find out more about the Australian Alumni Excellence Awards 2014, the eligibility criteria and how to make a nomination.

Event Details
812 April 2014 Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad

Nomination deadline: 8th March 2014

MEDIA RELEASE
1 March 2014
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Pakistanis in Australia Inc. celebrates its Harmony Champions

The Pakistanis in Australia Group based in City of Joondalup will recognise the achievements and efforts its volunteers make to multiculturalism at a dinner next week as part of Harmony Week. The event, to be held on 23rd March, 2014 at Craigie Leisure Centre has been supported by the Office of Multicultural Interests through a Harmony Champions Program grant of $500. Ms. Fatima Khushnud, the Secretary of the Group said that she was very happy to be able to hold an event to honour the great work volunteers do. We are very pleased to be able to hold this event to honour and recognise our wonderful volunteers, Ms. Fatima said. The success of our events relies on the tireless efforts of our team of dedicated volunteers most of whom are working or studying full time. The aim of Pakistanis in Australia is to support students and migrants from Pakistan in their settlement and to initiate projects in Australia and Pakistan that promote mutual collaboration between two countries and promote a positive image of Pakistan and Australia. The Harmony Champions Program was launched in December last year by Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Mike Nahan to provide associations and organisations that represent or provide services to Western Australias culturally diverse communities with the opportunity to acknowledge their volunteers. A State Government recognition event will also be held during Harmony Week and the names of the Harmony Champions will be displayed in an honour roll on the Office of Multicultural Interests website. For further information, please contact Fatima Khushnud at piasecretary@gmail.com

This is a fortnightly newsletter to keep community informed of whats happening in Pakistan and in Australia with a special focus on Western Australia at this time. We acknowledge that this newsletter is disseminated from Noongar land. The earlier issues can be accessed through web http://pakistanisinaustrali.wix.com/piainc or through the group Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/groups/pakistanisinaustralia. You can also follow our twitter account @PIAInc