Dubai: The Pakistan Social Centre Sharjah will soon provide life insurance for its members and set up an education support fund for children of deserving members.
"Our top priority will be to serve the community and launch welfare activities to help people in need," said Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal, the newly elected president of the Pakistan Social Centre Sharjah (PSCS).
He added that apart from meeting expenses related to educating poor children in the community, the centre would also arrange group insurance for its members to provide them with help in cases of emergencies.
"We will make this centre a true home away from home for Pakistanis living here by organising cultural, social, literary and sports activities for them," Iqbal told an audience that had gathered for the oath-taking ceremony of the centre's newly-elected managing committee.
Iqbal's panel, which ran as the Pakistan Forum and was supported by the Pakistan United Forum, was elected unopposed.
The ceremony was held on Monday at the centre whose membership is open to all Pakistanis residents in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. The atmosphere at the ceremony was electrifying and the major highlight was the participation of a large number of women and children — a rare occurrence at male-dominated Pakistani centres across the UAE.
Members were excited as the centre's management changed hands after seven years.
Iqbal thanked Pakistani Ambassador Khursheed Ahmad Junejo and Consul-General Amjad Ali Sher for fulfilling the long-standing needs of the community of improving the fortunes of the centre through the ushering in of new management.
Ambassador Junejo had earlier on urged the new management to involve the community in their activities. "You should focus on arranging activities involving all segments of the community, increase membership and launch welfare activities for the people in need," he added.
He said that he would also help spur inactive Pakistan Centres in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah into action.
Senator Abdul Nabil Bangash, the driving force behind the election of the new managing committee, said that no political party should influence the activities of the centre.
"The centre should [have no] political affiliation and the new committee should only work as a social body serving community members regardless of their political, religious and provincial affiliation," he said.
Consulate reaches out
Amjad Ali Sher, Pakistan's Consul-General in Dubai, has announced the introduction of a bi-monthly consular service at the Pakistan Social Centre in Sharjah for the benefit of the community.
He said that consulate officials would go to the centre every fortnight on Fridays to receive applications from residents in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain and also listen to their problems. The consulate officials will also visit Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah once a month.
"The main aim is to provide the service to people who cannot come to the consulate on working days due to [work] commitments," he added.
Sher had also earlier promised to launch online services to ease the huge rush of applicants at consulate premises.
