You are on page 1of 6

PIA NEWS VOL.

7 ISSUE 09

PIA News
Vol.7

30th April, 2017


Editor: Dr. Zarrin S Siddiqui

IN REMEMBRANCE PASSION, INTEGRITY & APNAPAN

Dear All,
As you receive this newsletter Pakistani nation is remembering those who have sacrificed their
lives in the war on terrorism so do take a moment to pray for the gems that we have lost and for
comfort to their families.

As part of the remembrance, Pakistanis in Australia Cricket team played with Australian Federal
Police XI yesterday at Comer Reserve in South Perth. ( Details on Page 3).

In this issue you will also find an article written by Dr. Mehr Zahra from Sydney.

We are currently working on a discussion paper to highlight the effect of current changes to the
immigration.

In our last issue we had included the flyer being distributed at a train station in perth and have
yet to hear back form WA Police.

It is also my pleasure to announce that Asma Sabir will take the lead for organising Eid event on
Ist or 2nd July. We are currently looking at the venues so will provide an update in next issue. This
also means that from June till November we will have one event every month. At the same time
there is a strong desire from the young ones to have more sporting events in future so watch this
space in July to see how w ecan accommodate these requests. If you want to take lead in any
project please do write immediatley.
PIA NEWS VOL.7 | Issue 09 2

ANZAC DAY AT KINGS PARK, WA and ACT

It was a great privilege to be part of the official wreath laying ceremony at Dawn in Kings Park,
WA. On the other hand community in Canberra also participated in the ANZAC day parade and
hold the Pakistani flag high.

2
PIA NEWS VOL.7 | Issue 09 3

FAYYAZ SUMBUL CUP IN SOLIDARITY: AFP XI vs PIA XI

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Pakistani community in


Australia expressed solidarity with Pakistani policemen in a friendly
cricket match in Perth on Saturday.

The game, which has been organised annually since last few years,
promoted the Fayyaz Sumbal Foundation, a joint initiative to help
families of police officers killed and wounded in the line of duty in
Pakistan. Local crowd witnessed the two teams play a competitive
game, with the PIA XI finally emerging victorious.

However, the game represented much more than just a day of cricket. Commander Matt Rippon,
State Manger of AFP for WA and NT described the event as an initiative to directly interact with
community and gain an understanding of their issues.

This initiative has also helped the Australian authorities get an insight into life in Pakistan, and
know more about the country especially its hospitality through first-hand experiences.

Michael Nicholas and Kamil Chaudhry led the AFP XI with Ramis Hassan and Asim Qureshi
leading PIA XI. It was very close win for PIA XI which looked difficult till last over was bowled and
PIA XI won by 8 runs.

A report was prepared by Zain Nabi for SBS Urdu Service with an interview with Kamil Chaudhry
which you can access at http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/urdu/en/content/afp-honours-
pakistani-policemen-solidarity-cricket-match-against-perth-team

Thanks to all the volunteers in addition to the two teams including Paula, Tony, Marzio and
young Hania Usman. The photographs of the event are now available at
https://www.facebook.com/pg/PakistanisInAustraliaInc

Figure Commander Matt Rippon with the two teams

3
PIA NEWS VOL.7 | Issue 09 4

EXTREMISM!! IS IT ACTUALLY A MONSTER?


By
Dr. Mehr Zahra
In today's age, the term 'Extremism' is no stranger to us. Having
been used in almost every newspaper and magazine in the context
of religious and political terms, its bound to be hated, feared and
frowned upon. For a very long time now, it has been glued in our
minds as something which is interchangeable with ' Radicalisation'
or ' Fanaticism'. Interestingly, we are living in a world where many
countries are playing the game of politics of fear and this term
seems very convenient to justify many of their ill deeds.

However, to bring justice to the term ' Extremism', I realised that


as per definition, it has been explained as ' a fact of someone
having beliefs that most people think are unreasonable and
unacceptable. Something outside the norms of the society!' Nowhere has it been mentioned only in the
political and religious terms!!

Keeping this in mind, are we then doing justice to the term' Extremism'? Are we not attaching a taboo to
the term which can also be used in other contexts? Rather a very fancy thought many of my readers will
feel but my debate being: Cannot passion and sufism be explained in the context of extremism? Bit of a
tangential thought I agree but I believe that our history is full of such extremists.

As a matter of fact, this bias can mark and shame many of the introverted but genius minds. Too much
media hype and coverage has made these pre-formed ideas in our minds that extremism is only political
and religious bounds. In my opinion, its not! In my opinion, a sufi spinning himself in an aura is an
extremist, Sir Isaac Newton discovering gravity was an extremist, Aristotle finding that the earth is round
was also an extremist as are all the scientists ad astronomists thinking and believing about black holes
and new universes are extremists as they fulfil the criteria of the definition of 'Extremism' by believing
outside the norms and as a result were subjected to ridicule and laughed upon by the society.

Frankly, in my opinion, this world would never have progressed without extremists! People who dared to
dream! People who thought differently from the normal average everyday man, people who went an
extra mile to reach their dreams and achieved their goals. You may think I am confusing extremism with
dreamers but isn't there a bit of extremist in every dreamer? The high achievers? The kind makers? These
words somewhere, somehow are interchangeable! Believe it or not, there is a little extremism in all of us,
amongst us, around us and thats what makes the world exciting!!

A wise man once said:

"Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue".

Dr. Mehr Zahra is a General Practitioner in Sydney and is an active member of Australia Pakistan Medical Association

4
PIA NEWS VOL.7 | Issue 09 5

IN SYDNEY: PAKISTANI STARS WILL SPARKLE

5
PIA NEWS VOL.7 | Issue 09 6

PAKISTAN HOCKEY TEAM U-18 WINS GOLD IN HOBART


Our boys have finally done it. Congratulations

Pakistanis in Australia Inc. is an incorporated group 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 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pakistanisinaustralia Twitter
@PIAInc Website: pakistanisinaustrali.wix.com/piainc Email: piaincorporated@gmail.com

You might also like