Heather Schmid, an American vocalist and Grammy member, turned what was expected to be a customary National Day event at the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC into a fascinating US-Pakistan intercultural celebration.
Performed in near-perfect Urdu accent, Schmid’s Pakistani national songs reverberated across the packed upper story hall of the Pakistani embassy, as diplomats, officials and Pakistani-Americans marveled at the power of cultural interaction.
Clad in a flowing green gown with glittering embroidery, Schmid’s heartwarming song “Pehlay Hum Pakistan Hain,” resonated the themes of unity, understanding and oneness between the US and Pakistan and within Pakistan. As noted by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani, the performance symbolized the vitality of close cooperation between the United States.
Heather Schmid, who started singing at the age of 8, was trained as an opera singer from Boston University on a full talent scholarship. Schmid, who has a substantial following in Pakistan, also has Miss Millennium International Pageant title to her name. She has toured the world and has also performed several times in Pakistan.
Mixing modern pop with traditional Eastern tunes, her first song, themed on “Hope” was a depiction of faith and optimism about Pakistan, a country that has been in the headlines since joining the post-9/11 US-led fight against terrorists along Pakistan-Afghanistan border including al-Qaeda.
Wednesday’s evening also featured Schmid’s daughter, Sara, who assists her mother in the Unity Project Pakistan.
Pakistan Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani addressing the event Photo Views and News
Pakistan, which has been a pivotal counterterrorism player as well a target of terrorists, has been trying to promote culture and arts to offset militant narrative but the situation in Afghanistan continues t0 defy stability in the region. Besides working to wok for Afghan political reconciliation, the US and Pakistan are also broadening their ties.
Having overcome some Afghan war controversies, the two countries have recently endeavored to build mutual trust and expand the gamut of their relationship, as also underlined by Ambassador Jilani in his welcome remarks.
“It is gratifying to note that the partnership between our two countries has seen progress in all areas of interaction including trade, economy, investment, energy, defense, counterterrorism and people-to-people contact,” Jilani told the gathering.
The guests included Congressman Mark Meadows and Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy from the State Department and Ambassador Richard Olson, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who conveyed warm wishes to the people of Pakistan from the people of the United States.
A notable initiative has been the “U.S.-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor” focused on advancing academic networks, partnerships, and exchanges in higher education, science and technology. Under the initiative, the two countries are also working getting as many as 10,000 PhD Pakistani students trained in the United States in the next 10 years.
Ambassador Jilani also acknowledged the U.S. support in Pakistan’s fight against terrorism that has claimed more than 60,000 lives in the country in nearly a decade. In this respect, he mentioned the critical role of some defense assets – such as F-16s fighter aircraft – which had been instrumental in destroying terrorists’ infrastructure in the country’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
The ambassador applauded d the valuable contributions made by the Pakistani American community in strengthening the bilateral treaties. He announced that the Embassy would convene the third annual Convention of the Pakistani American Community (CPAC-2016) to reinforce collective efforts.
Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy, in his brief remarks alluded to the multi-faceted ties and people-to-people exchanges that have put the bilateral ties on an upward trajectory during the past three years or so. He said there had been strains in bilateral ties, but they always recovered.
An upcoming visit by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the United States next week to attend the Nuclear Security Summit will be another opportunity for the two countries to promote their mutual interests.
