Dr. Iqbal Shedai: Preparations for Pakistan Day

The next morning, I left for Cairo. 

On the afternoon of 19 August 1947, I invited all my compatriots to my hotel and told them that I wanted to celebrate

“Pakistan Day”

on 23rd August. I put 20 Egyptian pounds on the table and asked them to contribute according to their capacity. All of them promised to contribute. Some of them paid cash. The whole amount came to about 80/- pounds Egyptian. Mufti AmiElel Husseini, when I approached him on the phone, promised to send 50/-pounds Egyptian and he sent the amount early the next morning. 

I also got hold of a Pakistani merchant, Mr. Abdulfadil Arab, and asked him to contribute 50/-pounds Egyptian. He sent me 45/-Egyptian pounds Thus, a sum of about 130/-Egyptian pounds was collected for the celebration.

Hr. j. Rahim, then Commercial attaché for India in Alexandria, contributed one pound. He is at present our Ambassador in Paris. He also attended the meeting. 

Invitation cards were issued and on the appointed day the great hall of Continental Hotel was full.

Sheikh Hasan Al Banna, Moharram Pasha, and Ghannam Pasha of the Wafd Party, Mufti Amin el Husseini of Palestine, Sayed Ahmed Hussein president of Miar al Fatta, and other leaders of his party, Emir Abdul Karim Rifi of Morocco and his party pans, etc.

Sayed Galal Hussein and many other leaders of other parties attended the function.

All Pakistanis were proud of their new country. In all, there were more than 500 people. The King’s private secretary and the then-prime minister of Egypt also sent telegrams of congratulations and success.

(I HAVE THESE TELEGRAMS WITH ME
THERE WERE SPEECHES DELIVERED BY SEVERAL PERSONS IN WHICH ALL OF THEM CONGRATULATED PAKISTANIS.)

There were also Indonesians and Chinese present.