Bill Text: NY K00994 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating Pakistan Independence Day to be celebrated August 14, 2022

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-05-24 - adopted [K00994 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-K00994-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 994

BY: M. of A. Rajkumar

        COMMEMORATING  Pakistan  Independence  Day  to  be
        celebrated August 14, 2022

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to  recognize  and
pay  just  tribute  to  the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups which
comprise and contribute to the richness and diversity of  the  community
of the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and  in  keeping  with  its
time-honored traditions, it is the intent of this  Legislative  Body  to
commemorate  Pakistan Independence Day to be celebrated August 14, 2022;
and

  WHEREAS, The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is an ally of  this  great
State and Nation, sharing deep economic, social, and cultural ties; and

  WHEREAS,  August 14 is a national holiday in Pakistan, commemorating
the day in 1947 when British Viceroy and Governor-General of India Louis
Mountbatten ceremonially  transferred  power  to  Muhammad  Ali  Jinnah,
ending centuries of British rule; and

  WHEREAS,  The  transfer  of  sovereignty  was  the  culmination of a
decades-long Pakistan Movement for independence, with one  of  its  most
famed  leaders being Jinnah, who is regarded as the Founder of Pakistan;
and

  WHEREAS, The Pakistan Movement had  a  profound  impact  around  the
world, inspiring multiple other independence movements; and

  WHEREAS,  New York City has a deep history of celebrating Pakistan's
independence, hosting the annual Pakistan Independence  Day  Parade  and
Festival,  the  largest  celebration of its kind in North America, along
with multiple other celebrations across the city; and

  WHEREAS, The United States is home to the largest Pakistani diaspora
population in the Western Hemisphere, with over half a million people of
Pakistani descent; and

  WHEREAS, Pakistanis have a long history in America, beginning in the
nineteenth century with people coming in large numbers from what is  now
Pakistan  to  work  as  laborers,  followed  by  another  major  wave of
immigration starting in the  1960s,  when  the  United  States  reformed
immigration policy; and

  WHEREAS, Pakistani Americans have made immeasurable contributions to
the  arts,  the STEM fields, business, philanthropy, academics, defense,
sports, religion, and government; and

  WHEREAS, Pakistani Americans contribute to all facets of life in New
York City, home to about 50,000  people  of  Pakistani  descent,  living
predominantly in Brooklyn and Queens; and

  WHEREAS,  Pakistani  American  New  Yorkers  have  left an indelible
impression on their city, having increased in number by about 70 percent
in the last decade, with the Pakistani national language of  Urdu  being
one of the most commonly-spoken in the city; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity
to recognize such events of significance which foster ethnic  pride  and
exemplify  the  cultural  diversity  that represents and strengthens the
fabric of the people and the State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  Pakistan Independence Day to be celebrated August 14, 2022;
and be it further

  RESOLVED, That copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  the  Consul  General of Pakistan, and various Pakistani
organizations in the State of New York.