Establishing the Pakistan-China Friendship Association (PCFA), founding members approved objectives soon after adopting by-laws unanimously, organizers announced. During the session at the University of Central Punjab (UCP) in Lahore, the members also announced names of the executive committee, including Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt as its president, Ho YukBing Barbara as senior vice president, and Khadija Amer and Dr Kiran Khurshid as vice presidents.
Asad Gondal will serve as the secretary general with Hamza Tariq Sufi as the joint secretary, while Rizwan Sherwani, Naveed Saeed and Dr Farzana Riaz as members of the executive committee. On the occasion, Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt stated that the association would soon launch a membership drive to invite Pakistani and Chinese residents of Lahore to become honorary members and participate in the activities of the association.
BRIDGING LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL GAPS
The PCFA president emphasized that the association would maintain close liaison with the Consulate General of China in Lahore for coordination and promoting greater people-to-people contact between Pakistan and China. He said the association would play its role in bridging linguistic and cultural gaps and creating greater opportunities for interaction between the people. Also, he announced that an alumni chapter would be initiated for Pakistanis who have studied at different Chinese educational institutions.
Speaking on the occasion, former Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) director general Kamran Lashari congratulated the newly-elected office-bearers and expressed his full confidence in the leadership of Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt – an accomplished academic and researcher and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Central Punjab. In recognition of his services, Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt was conferred the Friendship Award in Academia in 2023 by the Consulate General of China in Lahore.
Former Government College University vice chancellor Dr Hassan A. Shah also congratulated the newly-elected office-bearers and expressed his best wishes for the success of the Pakistan-China Friendship Association. The establishment of the association marks an important step towards strengthening people-to-people contacts and academic, cultural, social and economic ties between Pakistan and China, particularly in Lahore – the cultural capital of Pakistan.
Besides Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt and Kamran Lashari, Food Security Secretary Dr Kiran Khurshid, Dr Hassan A. Shah, Punjab Colleges Group Director Khadija Amer, Sufi Group of Industries Director Hamza Sufi, IMC Hospital Director Asad Gondal, Rizwan Sherwani, Dr Asim Farooqi, Naveed Saeed, Sarmad Nadeem, Dr Farzana Riaz, Tabita Victor, Dr Khushbu Khalid, Chinese nationals Wu Minghua, Chen Meifen, Ho Yuk Bing Barbara, Formen Wang, and Luo Jianxue – who heads the Lahore Overseas Chinese Association – were present during the meeting
The objectives of the association includes to celebrate important national and cultural occasions, to promote academic, socio-cultural, economic and recreational relations, to strengthen people-to-people relations, to organize seminars, conferences, exhibitions, cultural festivals, language programs and exchange visits, to facilitate collaboration among educational institutions, think tanks, businesses and civil society organizations, and to establish an alumni chapter for Pakistanis who have received education from Chinese educational institutions.
