In celebration of Pakistan Day, the City of Aurora raised the Pakistan

Wednesday, August 14, 2024, around 11 a.m., in the city of Aurora, Illinois's second biggest and the country's 112th -largest city. The Pakistani American Association of Aurora and Naperville celebrated Pakistan Independence Day with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall Aurora. The event was held outside of City Hall in Aurora, Illinois, and was very well attended by the Pakistani American community of Aurora and Nearby cities.The event’s guest of honor was the Consul General of Pakistan Mr Tariq Karim, who highlighted the common values underpinning the US and Pakistan friendship and the shared goals of the two countries in his eloquent speech.

The message for the day was "one unity", as is almost often the case in One Aurora Plaza. There, flags representing the diverse cultures of Aurora's communities are raised; this year, up to 15 countries' flags raisings have taken place. According to a city hall spokesperson, the Pakistani American community took part in its inaugural flag hoisting on Wednesday. The city raised the white crescent and star on a green field to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's founding and to express its welcome to the Pakistani community living in Aurora.

The top communications officer for the city and a senior counselor to Mayor Richard Irvin, Clayton Muhammad, stated, "We know in 2024... that Islamophobia is alive in every American city" "However, hate does not exist in Aurora." Due to a last-minute family situation, Mayor Richard Irvin was unable to attend the ceremony in person, but he sent a message stating that the Pakistani community in Aurora is "part of the One Aurora community." He declared, "You have my full support and my office's full support."

"We are significantly influencing how the United States' cultural landscape is shaped," he stated.
The consul general of the Pakistani consulate in Chicago, Tariq Karim, acknowledged the significance of Irvin's remarks and referred to the hoisting of the flag as "a great development."
Of the approximately one million Pakistanis living in the United States, he stated that approximately 250,000 reside in the twelve Midwestern states that his Chicago office services.

The city presented six recipients with Aurora Crescent and Excellence Awards (ACE Awards), the first of which went to Abdul Karim.

Among those acknowledged was Tahir Choudhry, who founded East West Instruments in Aurora in 1992. The third-generation company manufactures dental tools; Amjad Ghafoor founded Liberty Tax Service in Aurora over 20 years ago; and Imtiaz A. Rehman is the owner of the multidisciplinary engineering firm Engineering Services Group.

Due to an unforeseen personal issue, Mayor Richard Irvin was unable to attend the ceremony in person. However, he sent a statement stating that the Pakistani community in Aurora is "part of the One Aurora community."

He declared, "You have my full support and my office's full support."

Two organizations received honors from the city. Cultural events, educational seminars, and volunteer initiatives were being organized by the Pakistani Association of Aurora and Naperville and ICNA Relief.

As described by Ahsan Faiz, a member of the Pakistani Association of Aurora and Naperville, "We have significantly contributed to the integration and well-being of Pakistani Americans in the western suburbs of Chicago."

Three young Pakistani American students addressed the crowd: Ibrahim Hyder and Liza Qurashi, both from Oswego East High School; Zehra Moosani, a student at Naperville Central High School. They highlighted Pakistan's achievements and history, from starting with absolutely nothing to winning gold in sports like Arshad Nadeem's last-place victory in the Paris javelin competition, which made him the country's first-ever Pakistani individual medal winner.

The Pakistani American Association of Aurora was established by Waheed Sujjad, Moin Haque, Yasmeen Mozaffar, Ahsan Faiz, Kashif Aqeel, Hina Mumammad, and Waheed Sujjad.