In celebration of the achievements of British Pakistanis during the last 75 years in the UK, ‘the Legacy Project’ was launched at the Pakistan High Commission London.
The project is a collaborative effort by the British Pakistan Foundation (BPF) in partnership with the National Trust, World Congress of Overseas Pakistanis (WCOP), the Pakistan Society, and a host of other British Pakistani organisations.
The project aims to promote unity and pride in the community across the country through a grand tree plantation programme which supplements the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative for tree plantation. It aims to plant 7,500 trees across the UK and set up a Legacy Fund for the welfare of the British Pakistanis. The speakers at the event included Pakistan’s High Commissioner (HC) to the UK Moazzam Ahmad Khan, members of the executive committee of the Legacy Project, the National Trust, the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, WCOP, the Pakistan Society and members of the British Pakistani community.
Speaking at the launch event, Moazzam Khan said that the Legacy Project celebrates and recognises the constructive contribution of British Pakistanis in the economic, social and political life over the last 75 years. This project will prove a befitting testimony to the strength and depth of our relations and a tribute to the immense promise and potential of the dynamic British Pakistani diaspora bridge, he added.
“Among the wide array of activities, I am particularly excited that the Legacy Project aspires to plant 7,500 saplings across the UK in support of the Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative to mitigate climate change. Let this be our common gift to the coming generations for a future that is shared, sustainable, enduring and prosperous,” HC Khan said.
On this occasion, Asif Rangoonwala, chairperson of the British Pakistan Foundation, said that initiatives like the Legacy Project “are why we started an organization like the British Pakistan Foundation in the first place”. He said it was the first different British Pakistani bodies were working together to deliver a unified message.
“We aim to plant 7,500 trees to honour the efforts of those before us and leave a brighter legacy for future generations. I encourage all British Pakistanis to join the movement; I hope this is only the start of more collaborative efforts to come,” Rangoonwala added.
The launch of the Legacy Project coincides with Pakistan’s 75th independence anniversary, 75 years of friendship between Pakistan and the UK and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year.
