| PAKISTAN AUSTRALIA ASSOCIATION MELBOURNE INC. (PAAM)
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Background
The Pakistani community living in Melbourne socialises with each other by forming associations/organisations comprising of like-minded people. The first such association in Melbourne was formed in 1960. A meeting of Pakistani students was held after Eid-ul Azha congregational prayer at Russel St at 11.30 AM on Sunday 05 June 1960. In the meeting it was decided to form an association for socialising. The association was named PAKISTAN AUSTRALIA ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA. The official stamp of the association reads as “PAKISTAN AUSTRALIA ASSOCIATION MELBOURNE (VICTORIA).
PAAM has inherited the original documents of this association and can proudly claim to be its rightful successor.
Plans for a New Association
Due to the growing numbers of Pakistanis in Australia (and indeed Melboure), some elders and younger Pakistanis realised that there is a dire need of another association which would welcome all Pakistanis and cooperate with all other associations. These names include Sadiq Ullah Khan, Dr. A.K. Kazi. Dr. Shabbir Tariq, R.P. Dewan, Wasi Qureshi, Hayat Qureshi, Mohammad Arif, Aslam Kazi, Manzoor Mian, Hussain Mir, Wahaj Habib, Habib Rehman, Aqueel Syed, Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz Ch, Ch. Nasir and many more spirited young Pakistanis.
Making Of PAAM
Mohammad Arif was assigned the task of taking necessary measures to incorporate a new association. Consequently Pakistan Australia Association Melbourne Incorporated (PAAM) was formed. The Inaugural General Meeting was held on Sun 23 Jul 2006 at Templestowe Memorial Hall; Templestowe VIC 3106. This meeting was attended by 56 people who have the honour of becoming PAAM Foundation Members. Sadiq Ullah Khan was elected the first President and Mohammad Arif was appointed the Public Officer.
List of PAAM Foundation Members
(pls reproduce the att and at this place)
Vision and Ideology of PAAM
All those people who were actively involved in the formation of PAAM had a clear vision that PAAM would be much different from other similar associations/organisations. The salient features of vision and ideology of PAAM are:
a. Provide a dignified platform for all Australian Pakistanis living in Melbourne to socialise with each other.
b. To encourage Pakistani youth to take a leading role in managing PAAM and ultimately provide a selfless and spirited leadership for Pakistani community.
c. Instil a spirit of friendship, harmony and cooperation with all other Pakistani associations in Melbourne.
d. Expand and export the PAAM vision/ideology to a much wider spectrum in Melbourne and ultimately all over Australia.
Some Important Facts
It would be appropriate to bring some facts regarding formation of PAAM on record for coming generations.
a. The name Pakistan Australia Association Melbourne was selected by Mohammad Arif, Aslam Kazi and Manzoor Mian.
b. When a general call was sent out to the Pakistani community regarding formation of PAAM and inviting them to join it, the first three persons to respond were Tahir Hashmi, R.P. Dewan and Dr. A.K. Kazi respectively.
c. Dr. A.K. Kazi was the first person to give the new Association a short name and called it PAAM ---- spoken as “PAIM”. Very soon PAAM became a house-hold name in Melbourne.
d. The Membership Application Form was designed by Wahaj Habib.
e. The current PAAM Logo was designed by Aqueel Syed.
f. The PAAM domain name paam.org.au was also registered by Aqueel Syed who became its first Webmaster.
g. Wasi Qureshi, who is an experienced accountant and Treasurer of UMMA for the past two decades, graciously agreed to become PAAM Treasurer for initial two years to put its accounts on strong footings.
h. Many persons helped in drafting the PAAM Constitution. Some names are Hayat Qureshi, Shazia Fiyaz, Adam Khan, Wasi Qureshi, Dr. Naimet Cheema and others. The final version was completed by Faisal Mian assisted by Mohammad Arif.
i. Most of the hard work involved in formation, incorporation and launching of PAAM was done by Mohammad Arif.
j. Ch. Nasir and Adam Khan made lots of contributions -----in cash, services and food------ for the PAAM functions.
List of PAAM Presidents
The following community leaders gave PAAM the honour of becoming its Presidents:
a. Sadiq Ullah Khan
b. Ch. Mohammad Nasir
c. Dr. Iqbal Gondal
d. Adam Khan Sadiqzai
e. Dr. M. Shahbaz Chaudhry
PAAM Advisory Council
PAAM encourages Pakistani youth to take a leading role in its management. As such a PAAM Advisory Council was constituted to guid the young leaders regarding the Vision and Ideology of PAAM.
The PAAM Advisory Council comprises of the following senior members of the community:
a. Dr. A. K. Kazi; PhD
b. Dr. Shabbir Tariq; PhD
c. Mrs. Yasmin Sayed
d. Dr. Naimet Ullah Cheema; PhD
e. Mohammad Arif
f. All ex-Presidents of PAAM would become the ex-officio members of Advisory Council. They are Sadiq Ullah Khan; Ch. Mohammad Nasir; Dr Iqbal Gondal ; Adam Khan Sadiqzai and Dr. M. Shahbaz Chaudhry after completion of his term as president.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF PAAM
Australia Day Parade
Pakistan community had never participated in Australia Day Parades held on Australia Day 26 Jan while other communities attended regularly. PAAM is the first Pakistani Association which started taking part in Australia Day Parades to represent Pakistan. Asad Amin, a PAAM Foundation Member, organised to get the time-space slot for Pakistan Contingent on 26 Jan 2007. Since then it has been a regular feature for PAAM to represent Pakistani community in Australia Day Parades.
Pakistan Day Celebrations on 23 Mar.
It has been an established practice for various Pakistani Associations to celebrate Pakistan Independence Day on 14 Aug each year but no functions were held to celebrate Pakistan Day on 23 Mar. PAAM is the first Pakistani organisation to highlight the importance of Pakistan Day by holding special functions. The first Pakistan Day function was held in 2008 and since then it has been a regular annual celebrations.
Formation of Australian Federation of Pakistan Organisations. (AFPO)
The general social atmosphere among the Pakistani community at the time when PAAM was launched was that of confrontation rather than cooperation between the Pakistani Associations. PAAM took practical measures to expand its Vision and Ideology as stated above by developing close friendly relations with other Pakistani Organisations. PAAM directed its Public Officer Mohammad Arif to get in touch with other like-minded Pakistani Associations to forge a common higher platform to promote cooperation and harmony among the Pakistani community all over Melbourne.
Consequently the Presidents of following Pakistani Associations held a meeting on Fri 10 Apr 2009 and decided to form Australian Federation of Pakistan Organisations (AFPO):
a. Pakistan Australia Association Melbourne. (PAAM)
b. Pakistani Australian Christian Association. (PACA)
c. Australian Muslim Community Education Forum (AMCEF)
d. Pakistani Students Association of Australia (PSAA) joined AFPO on 26 Sep 2009.
Inviting AFPO Presidents on PAAM functions.
It is very heartening to see very close cooperation among AFPO member organisations. PAAM invites all members of AFPO to attend its functions while their Presidents and their families are treated as VIPs. The PACA and PSAA also participate in various events of the functions of PAAM as if it is their own organisation. This friendly and healthy relationship among the AFPO members sends out a very positive message to the Pakistani community in Melbourne. PAAM is very proud of being the pioneer in developing cooperation and harmony among AFPO members. We are deeply grateful to Mohammad Arif for making all this happen.
Australia Day Parade Under AFPO
PAAM has been taking part in Australia Day Parades representing Pakistani community since 2007. When AFPO was formed, PAAM graciously offered to give the time-space slot reserved for PAAM representing Pakistani Community to AFPO. Since Australia Day on 26 Jan 2010 all four member organisations of AFPO jointly take part in Aus Day Parade as ONE UNITED PAKISTANI CONTINGENT thereby sending out a very strong message about our unity, tolerance and respect for each other.
Formation of Pakistan Australia Council (PAC)
PAAM Vision and Ideology is to form a common, united, and higher platform for all Pakistanis living all over Australia thereby giving them a strong and powerful voice. The formation of AFPO was a very successful venture. Encouraged by this experiment PAAM directed its Public Officer Mohammad Arif to contact other Pakistani Organisations all over Australia and invite them to join AFPO.
Australia is a huge country with vast distances. It was not an easy task to find out about other Pakistani Associations in various capital cities of Australia. It took more than more than a year for Mohammad Arif to achieve this colossal mission. Finding the contact details of Presidents of various Pakistani Organisations all over Australia, then inviting and convincing them to join AFPO was really tricky specially because he had never met any of those Presidents. But ALLAH Almighty was very kind. The Presidents of 13 Pakistani Organisations/Associations from all States and Territories of Australia finally agreed to hold a National Conference in Canberra.
The High Commissioner of Pakistan Ms Fauzia Nasreen had graciously offered to host the National Conference which was held on 13 Nov 2010 at Pakistan House in Canberra.
The 13 Presidents attending the National Conference decided to form a new national organisation which would be registered in Canberra representing Pakistani living all over Australia.
This new organisation was named PAKISTAN AUSTRALIA COUNCIL (PAC)
It is a great pride and honour for PAAM that its President Adam Khan Sadiqzai was unanimously elected the first President of PAC. The National Conference/PAC also acknowledged the role of Mohammad Arif in the formation of PAC and recommended him for a Pakistan Civil Award.
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