L N MALLICK

DOHA THE Pakistan Welfare Forum (PWF) inducted a new steering committee for the next session 2012-2013 at its Annual General Assembly meeting held at the Pakistan embassy recently.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar HE Muhammad Sarfaraz A Khanzada, who is patron-in-chief of the forum, attended the function as the chief guest.

Nadeem Bashir will be the new president while other office bearers are Ahmed Hussain (vice president), Dr Abdur Rehman (general secretary), Ghias Akhtar (deputy secretary), Asfandiar Ansari (finance secretary) and Siyab Khan (information secretary).

Other members include Haji Nasib Shah, Shiraz Khan, Kabal Khan, M Raheel Khan, Riaz Baqali, Rehmat Baloch, Mehtab Satti, Sher Ali, M Yaqoob Qamar and Aftab Ahmed.

Bashir thanked PWF members for expressing their confidence by endorsing him for the new position. He laid out his vision to take the PWF to new heights by building on the success of the previous PWF team. He said special attention will be given to increase the membership base. “Besides financially supporting the underprivileged families we also plan to hold medical camps,” remarked Bashir.

Earlier, member founder executive council Mohammad Ajmal Chaudhary welcomed the guests.

Member founder executive council Mohammad Idrees Anwar expressed his gratitude to all PWF members, Pakistan embassy and all other supporters for their help and assistance. He briefed the guests about the performance of the outgoing steering committee.

During the 2010 and 2011 floods in Pakistan, the PWF carried out relief activities in affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province. The forum also reconstructed houses in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab and Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces. A three-member delegation from the PWF recently visited Karachi, and handed over a cheque worth Rs10 million to renowned philanthropist Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi, founder of Edhi Foundation, to help flood victims. The PWF recently donated for Turkey flood victims.

“During the past two years the forum has provided financial assistance to members of the Pakistani community in education, medical, health, legal aid, natural calamities.

Besides helping widows and orphans, the forum has also extended financial support to other nationalities residing in Qatar,” Anwar said.

Abid Hussaini gave a presentation of the achievements of the PWF.

“21 Pakistani families in Qatar were given financial assistance, 62 students were helped in the form of monthly tuition fees, around 600 flood victims in Pakistan were helped while 11 medical cases were dealt with during the tenure of the outgoing steering committee,” he said.

Community Welfare Attaché Dr Mansoor Abbas Rizvi said the PWF playing a pivotal role for the welfare of deserving Pakistanis in Qatar by providing financial assistance in the areas of education, health and welfare matters.

Khanzada appreciated the activities of the forum and suggested a number of programmes for the benefit of the community. He said a grand function of Pakistan Education Centre alumni will be held soon. Khanzada announced that unlike previous years no artistes from Pakistan will be invited to perform during the Pakistan Day function on March 23.

“This time students of the four Pakistani schools in Qatar will perform to mark the day,” remarked Khanzada.

During the function, community members also raised QR 600,000 for the fund.