Pakistan Students Association of Greater Boston

The first known organizational group for the Boston area Pakistani community was the Pakistan Students Association of Greater Boston or PSAGB. Its exact origins are not known at this time; however this organization is believed to have been founded in the late 1960s by Pakistani students attending colleges in the Boston area.

At present few detailed information is available on the PSAGB and most of what is described here has been collected from memories of those who served in this Association either as elected officials or volunteers.

The PSAGB was known to organize activities of interest to the Pakistani students and the small (but growing) Pakistani community of the greater Boston area. Moving into the mid and late 1970s the Pakistani community of families residing around Boston had assumed some footing. A portion of the community comprised of the same students who came to Boston for education and wound up settling in this city and its suburbs.

During its existence the PSAGB conducted events such as Eid parties, Pakistani national programs, music functions, picnics and mushairas much like the community groups of today. What was at first a student-based organization was slowly transforming to a community-based organization. Interest in the Association would rise and fall from year to year due to assorted factors but the organization continued to provide a social outlet for the community. Some of the well-known performers to visit Boston during these times were the Sabri Brothers, Habib Wali Mohammed and Alamgir. The Association also welcomed dignitaries from the Government of Pakistan: Sahabzada Yaquib Khan, Sultan M. Khan, and Hadi Ali Raza.

Around 1976 Barry Hoffman was appointed the Honoray Pakistani Consul General in Boston. He became an instant friend of the PSAGB and the Pakistani community of Boston. The friendship has continued for decades. Mr. Hoffman has been keenly interested in addressing the needs of Pakistani students in the Boston area.

By 1989 the PSAGB was showing its age. The organization carried the word "Students" in its title, but it was more of a community group that served the growing Pakistani community comprising many professionals now living in the area, some for over two decades. Many first and second-generation children were entering college, others starting professional life, and all of them approaching the age of marriage. While the PSAGB continued to serve the community as best it could there was also recognition that the Pakistani community had yet to formally organize itself as a community group. The PSAGB’s role as a community organization was a progressive development over the past two decades.

The PSAGB started as a student organization and had since grown to where it was now serving mainly the emerging community; most of the Association's members were professionals, not full-time college students. Slowly the community was learning about the implications of incorporation and liability. There was uncertainty as to whether the PSAGB existed as a registered organization; its original formation papers, charter and constitution could no longer be located.

These circumstances made it difficult to truthfully state whether or not the Association was operating under its intended or stated purpose and whether or not the Association was following its own by-laws. There was simply no way to verify answers to any questions on these subjects. From these circumstances there arose a ground swell of interest to more formally organize the community association group and retire the PSAGB.

The last event of the PSAGB took place in June 1989. Jamal Ghaus was the President at that time. The event was held at Ashdown House on the campus of MIT and it comprised of discussion and voting on forming a new community group. Following the business portion of the event, the program for the evening featured musician Aslam Ali of Canada. Also present was artist Amin Guljee displaying some of his fine works.

Thus the PSAGB was retired after more than two decades of faithful service. This organization operated well given the size of the community and the meager resources it had available. What had started as a student group had evolved into a community organization, one that served as a predecessor to today's Pakistani community groups in and around the Boston metropolitan area and its suburbs.

Epilogue: A new beginning

The final event of the PSAGB featured a lively discussion on the future direction of the Pakistani community in Boston. The assembly at that time expressed interest in creating a community group that would be representative of the Pakistani's in all of New England. By 1989 the Pakistani community now extended into parts of southern New Hampshire, Rhode Island, as well as Worcester, Amherst and Springfield. A group that represented the New England region seemed appropriate. At the final PSAGB event in June 1989 the assembly in attendance voted in favor of such direction and even elected a governing body for this new group.

However the formation of a New England regional Pakistani community group and the circumstances under how it was created raised questions in the minds of some community members. They pointed out how the organization had not been created with a clearly stated charter and purpose, and that it was operating without establishing a constitution. Further it was felt that the number of people who were present at the June 1989 program were not sufficient to claim New England wide representation.

The effort to form a New England regional Pakistani group was disbanded by the end of the summer in 1989. A new effort was then launched to form a Pakistani community group that could be considered a true representation of the known community. Many hours were invested into drafting a functional and practical constitution. The process was not without controversy; passions and emotions ran high for several months.

For a time it seemed the Pakistani community of Boston was now in complete disarray as the effort to draft a constitution extended into the following year. By the end of February 1990 some hope began to emerge as the effort was now focusing on a well-defined constitution that would address the community needs.

In the same function hall where the PSAGB was retired, the Pakistani community gathered again to assess the progress since the end of the previous summer when the reorganization effort was launched. This gathering took place at the beginning of March 1990. Some coherency was now beginning to emerge; the principles in the on-going discussion were in agreement to proceed in a manner that best served the community.

However community members were now polarized over the name of the new organizational group they were seeking to create. Some wanted the new association to carry the name "New England" while others preferred the name "Greater Boston".

On March 31, 1990 a sizeable gathering of the community assembled in the Sala de Puerto Rico function hall on the campus of MIT to make the fateful decision concerning the future of their organization. The constitution draft was ready for approval and acceptance on all issues except the name of the organization. The matter was put to vote. From the results of the balloting the assembly chose the name "Pakistan Association of Greater Boston".

In the years that followed since, other pockets of the Pakistani community continued to grow and formed additional organizations. There is now established in other parts of the New England region: Pakistan Association of Western Massachusetts, Pakistani American Association of Southern New England and Pakistani American Association of New Hampshire.

Also the community has moved in other directions of service having established: Pak-Millennium Conference, a Massachusetts chapter of the Human Development Foundation of North America, Association of Pakistani Physicians of New England, Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs, Young American Pakistani Professionals and the Association for the Development of Pakistan. All these organizations working independently and at times in collaboration have provided a sense of community to the Pakistanis living in New England.

The Pakistan Students Association of Greater Boston is now just a memory. However it should be remembered with dignity for organizing and providing the central focus that shaped the future of the Pakistani community residing in and around Boston..

OFFICER BEARERS OF THE PSAGB

Below are the names of individuals who served the PSAGB as officer bearers during the course of its existence. The names have been listed alphabetically by last name. (Additional names will be added when identified.)

Farida Alam

Javed Aziz

Aliya Azizuddin

Raheela Chaudhry

Farooq Ghani

Jamal Ghaus

Farhat Husain

Shaukat Husain

Arshraf Jan

Malik M.A. Khan

Saher Khan

Afshan Kirmani

Maarij Kirmani

Mohsin Lari

Farooq Saleji

Naseem Shahnawaz

Jawed Wahid

Parwez Wahid