Pakistanis, whether living in Pakistan or abroad, are always proud of their social and cultural values and inheritance.
They are always striving to promote and actively protect their core values.
In foreign cultures the need for an energetic and concerted effort is all the more essential.
In keeping with this spirit, Al Saqafa, The Pakistan Association, was founded in 1993 by a group of prominent Pakistanis, led by Afzal Najeeb, who felt that the community needed its own welfare organisation and a social and cultural forum.
The group also integrated prominent community personalities including Dr Abdul Qahir, Noor Pathan, Imtiaz Pervez, Syed Wahajuddin Ahmed, S M Iqbal, Shakeel Anwar, Dr Haroon Memon and many others.
Being a small but active forum, Al Saqafa has held literary nights and barbecue nights for members and their families, as well as charity programmes and educational symposiums and has sponsored scholarships for needy students.
A significant part of its surplus from its programmes is donated to local charities and some is retained for financing future events.
Since its formation, Al Saqafa has had the honour of inviting to Bahrain a number of literary figures of Urdu language from Pakistan and India including giants like Ahmed Faraz, Amjad Islam Amjad, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi, Shahzad Ahmed, Murtaza Barlas, Qateel Shifai, Jagan Nath Azad, Hamayat Ali Shaer and many others.
Similarly, many prominent artists visited Bahrain under the banner of Al Saqafa, including Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, S B John, Mehnaz, Sajjad Ali, Tehseen Jafri and several others.
Al Saqafa is today well known for organising highly entertaining social and cultural events in Bahrain.
In the last 24 years, the association has secured a prestigious place among the local social and cultural clubs by successfully presenting a number of literary symposiums and light classical musical programmes.
Some of which included the Zia Mohyeddin Show, an evening with Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi, an evening with Anwar Maqsood and Tina Sani, Raat Gaye with Ammar Masood and Murtaza Barlas, Mazahiya Mushaira and an evening with Anwer Maqsood and Saadia Malik.
“On behalf of the members and the board of Al Saqafa, we extend our heartiest felicitations to all Pakistanis on the occasion of Pakistan Day,” said Al Saqafa vice-chairman Dr Farouk Chaudhry.