NEWYORK: South Asian American Small Business Association celebrated the first Valley Stream Pakistan Day Festival with great enthusiasm in the Valley Stream area of New York to mark the 79 th Independence Day.
The first Valley Stream Pakistan Day Festival was attended by government officials, community leaders and thousands of people.
The first Valley Stream Pakistan Day Festival in the Valley Stream area of New York was a mega event of Pakistani culture, music, food and entertainment.
A special fun zone with amusement rides and a bouncy castle was set up for children, while stalls selling various Pakistani foods, ice cream, clothing and jewelry also remained the center of attention of the people.
The event began with welcoming remarks by Nassau County Attorney Shaharyar Ali. He invited Village Justice Melanie Jenkins to the stage, who congratulated the Pakistani community on Independence Day.
The host of the event Asim Malik, congratulated the participants on Independence Day on behalf of SAASBA, while SAASBA Executive Director Aun Murtaza Naqvi thanked Nassau County Executive Senior Advisor Chaudhry Akram and the entire festival team.
The festival officially began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Chaudhry Akram, senior journalist Mujeeb Lodhi and SAASBA’s Mohsin Shah were also present on stage.
US national anthem and pledge were presented in the ceremony, after which the Pakistani national anthem was also played respectfully.
The children and the team of Atiya Shahnaz presented a special performance, in recognition of which Mohsin Shah presented them with a shield.
SAASBA also presented community service awards and honorary shields to various organizational officials and prominent figures of the Pakistani community in recognition of their services.
Mohsin Shah appreciated the unity of the community and said that mutual solidarity is the most important need of the hour.
American officials also participated in the festival. Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips and senior officials of the Fire Department congratulated the Pakistani community on Independence Day.
A special video message was also broadcast by Nassau County’s 10th County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in which he thanked the Pakistani community and congratulated them on Independence Day.
During the festival, the call to prayer was also respectfully arranged at Maghrib.
Host Asim Malik also invited the first Pakistani-born Inspector of the New York Police Department, Adeel Rana, to the stage. Inspector Adeel Rana appreciated the efforts of SABSA and praised the positive role of the Pakistani community.
Michael May entertained the audience with his singing, while Punjabi singer Imran Ali captivated the audience with folk songs and Punjabi songs.
Renowned artist RJ Razi went among the crowd and entertained the participants, while at the height of the festival, renowned singer Humaira Arshad took the stage and won the hearts of the audience with her brilliant performance.
Various stalls also organized raffles and lucky draws, in which the lucky ones were given iPads, LED TVs, AirPods and other valuable prizes.
The festival, which lasted from 2 PM to 10 PM, had free entry and parking for the public.
The first Pakistan Day Festival held in Valley Stream not only became a beautiful manifestation of Pakistani culture, music and traditions, but also proved to be a wonderful expression of mutual relations, cultural harmony and unity between the Pakistani and American communities.
