It was that time of the year again — Iftar and with it authentic homemade biryani. The fraternity soldering over this fusion of ‘desi food’ every year has however grown manifold. It seems the aroma of this popular rice dish, especially prepared by a Pakistani chef, at Pak Shamaa School has reached far and wide.


PARTICIPATION: PAS Qatar says more than 700 people attended the Iftar.

More than 700 people from different walks of life in local Pakistani expatriate community recently gathered to break their fasts in togetherness at a mass Iftar organised by Pakistan Arts Society (PAS) Qatar at the school.
Keeping with the tradition, the PAS volunteers at the Jinnah Hall of the school served the guests, a large number of blue-collar workers coming from the camps in the outskirts of the city among them, with food at they sat.
The congregation broke fast with traditional Pakistani street food and dates before lining up for prayers. Then came the much-awaited biryani. For many, it was one of those rare opportunities to find and meet friends amidst their busy work schedules while some made new friends.
Many prominent old and new members of the community praised PAS’s tradition of organising mass Iftar gatherings.
“It was my first attendance at any Pakistani event in Qatar. It was an open Iftar event where food and beverages were served to large audience. I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of people attending the Iftar and how well the event was managed,” says Imran Sabir, who has recently moved to Qatar with his family after living in Europe for more than 15 years.
Credit, he adds, goes to organisers who worked hard to bring people from all walks of life and provided them excellent hospitality.
“The atmosphere was spiritual, the food was great, and above all finding myself in a vibrant Pakistan community made me feel proud. We should thank PAS Qatar for hosting a wonderful event and of course we expect more,” says Sabir.
“It was a huge, very impressive, well-organised and delicious Iftar and dinner. Everybody was served nicely and honourably while sitting at his place, with respect and smiles,” said Dr Saiyed Tausif Ahmad Hashmi, a veteran medical specialist and one of the most active members of the community.
Besides PAS-Qatar staff, a team of volunteers served the guests, running around to ensure supply of food and beverages to everyone.
Dishes of biryani, covered with a thin foil to keep it hot and fresh, were passed on to the guests sitting in rows on the carpeted floor. Biryani was served with raita, an essential part of Pakistani cuisine, and cold beverages including laban.
“I would like to thank PAS-Qatar for organising a great Iftar party for the Pakistani community. It united Pakistanis living in Qatar from all classes of the society,” said Muhammad Ali, a civil engineer who has been living here for over seven years. He said PAS-Qatar deserves appreciation for their community events and other noteworthy works in Qatar for the Pakistani community and hoped they would keep coming with such community gatherings in future as well.
PAS-Qatar first organised the mass Iftar in 2014, which was attended by more than 500 people, while PAS Chairman MA Shahid personally organised a similar event last year at the same venue. The PAS Iftar gathering has gained massive popularity among the community members.
“Pakistan Arts Society Qatar continues to play a vital role in the community by organising such gatherings. It was an open invite to connect all community members under one roof. It was a pleasure to support an excellent cause,” said Qaiser Anwar Khan, a project management professional, who was part of the volunteers. 
Officers from embassy of Pakistan also attended the event, including Defence Attache Masud Akram, who is due to leave Qatar shortly as his term comes to end.
President of PAS-Qatar Mohamed Abrar Hussain say the idea behind the mass Iftar was to bring the community together and especially those who are living away from their families here in Qatar.
“We invited a large number of blue-collar workers from the camps in the outskirts of the city and provided them an opportunity to mingle with the community and celebrate Ramadan together with us. It was great to see a good response,” says Abrar.
He says PAS has been actively organising more educational and professional training events for the Pakistani community over the last few years. He thanked the representatives of the Pakistani community organisations that participated in and supported the event.