Candle Light Vigil in memory of Slain Journalist Saleem Shahzad‏

Nothing can be more disheartening, than news of someone’s brutal murder. Saleem Shahzad, a veteran Pakistani journalist and a loud voice of reason was first abducted and than killed by the forces of dark in Pakistan.  

We never met Saleem Shahzad personally but we the members of Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians here in Vancouver like many others living in Pakistan and hundreds of thousands of conscious people elsewhere in this globalised and interconnected world were saddened, alarmed and got angry over this brutal killing. 

Saleem Shahzad who had just turned to 40 was a true professional investigative journalist, who wrote extensively on issues pertaining to global security, especially on Pakistani military and religious militant movements in the Muslim world. 

To protest the brutal killing of Saleem Shahzad, a father, a husband, a brother, a son and a journalist, and to wish to see Pakistan a socially progressive, politically democratic and secular country, than please come and join the Canadian Pakistanis and South Asian diaspora here to lit a candle and show support to slain Saleem Shahzad's family, Pakistani journalists and the voices of reason of civil society in Pakistan. 

The program is as under: 

Candle Light Vigil in the memory of slain journalist Saleem Shahzad 

Hum jo Tareak rahoon mein marey gaye/ We, who were slain in unlit pathways..." Faiz

7.30 pm,  Sunday, June 12, 2011 

Holland Park
(Corner of King George Boulevard and Old Yale Road)
Surrey, BC. 

Organized By
CPPC (Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians) 

Endorsed By
FVPC (Fraser Valley Peace Council)

SANSAD (South Asian Network for Secularism & Democracy) 

.

Condolence meeting & memorial service in memory of Late Shahbaz Bhatti‏

Violence in the name of religion is on the continuous rise in Pakistan. Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, minister for minority affairs and the only Christian in Pakistan's cabinet, was gunned down in Islamabad on 2nd March, 2011,  more or less just two months after the brutal assassination of Punjab's governor Salman Taseer. Immediately after the Pakistani Taliban claimed the responsibility of Bhattí''s killing and justified it on the grounds of the minister suggesting changes in Pakistan's infamous blasphemy laws.

Fraser Valley Peace Council in association with the Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians and the Indo-Canadian Workers Association is holding a condolence meeting and memorial service in sad remembrance of  Shahbaz Bhatti. Please join us to express solidarity with voices of tolerance and reason in Pakistan.

 
The program details are as under

'Silence is not an option, Silence means more Deaths...'

Condolence meeting and memorial service                                  

In remembrance of Shahbaz Bhatti,  

Slain Pakistani Christian leader, Pakistan's Federal minister for minority affairs

Chief Guest:         Shuja Alam, Consulate General of Pakistan.
Guest Speaker:   Ujjal Dosanjh, MP
Speakers:             
Gurpreet Singh (Director News, Radio India Ltd)
Dr. Saif Khalid (Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians)
Surrinder Sangha (Indo Canadian Workers Association)   
When:   Sunday, 3rd April, 2011 (1.30 pm sharp)  
Where:  Newton Library, 13795 70 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 0E1


We the organizers strongly believe that the silence is not the option and time has come that the individuals and groups who believe in peace, freedom and human dignity should stand up and make their voices heard against the hard-liner, extremist and violent minority within Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.

In Solidarity and peace,  

Members and supporters of
Fraser Valley Peace Council

Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians (Vancouver Chapter) 
Indo-Canadian Workers Association

.

.

A Public Forum on Afhanistan featuring Malalai Joya

A Public Forum on Afhanistan 

"Can West brings Peace and Prosperity to Afghanistan? An Afghan woman's perspective."
Featuring Malalai Joya

When:  Monday, October. 11th 4.00 pm PM
Where: Room No. 3310 Simon Fraser University (SFU) Surrey Campus, Central City, 13450 102 Avenue, Surrey 

(South of the Surrey Central SkyTrain station)

A free event, however donations are much encouraged. 

Organized by Fraser Valley Peace Council, For more information, please contact 604-613-0735

(Please see attached poster for further details)  

The story of Malalai Joya is the story of another Afghanistan. When the Russians entered her country in 1979, she was just four days old. She with her family fled and lived in poverty-stricken refugee camps until she was 18, first in Iran and then Pakistan. During studying at a secondary school in the Pakistan refugee camp, she volunteered to teach afternoon literacy classes. While her stay as a refugee in Pakistan Malali Joya, as a teenager, also did humanitarian work for various organisations in Pakistan to help provide for her family. Joya began her campaign for social and political change after returning to Afghanistan around a decade ago. Immediately after her return to Afghanistan, she started a secret underground school for girls under the brutal Taliban regime and when they were toppled, she cast off the burka, ran for 2005 elections representing Farah province and became the first ever youngest member of Afghan parliament, . She was later suspended from her position for criticizing the war-lords MP's and the the way Karzai government was handling the country. Women’s rights activist, politician and one of the bravest women in Afghanistan has received countless death threats and survived four attempts against her life but she refuses to be silenced. She lived in hiding for five years and never spends more than 24 hours at the same house. 

Malalai Joya is now an angry woman. She's angry about the war being carried out by the international coalition in her country, Afghanistan, angry about the NATO bombs that are killing civilians in their villages, angry about calls for reconciliation with the Taliban and the war lords.
 
According to her there is no difference for ordinary Afghans between the Taliban and the equally fundamentalist warlords. The recipient of various international prizes for bravery, she speaks of her commitment to defend the rights of women and children despite the threats on her life.  Malalai Joya is an inspiration for the all the peace loving individuals and groups around the world. She wants to replace bullets, blood, and tears in to peace, hopes and smiles. Malai Joya is now a household name in Afghanistan and a very well known figure internationally. She was called "Afghanistan's most famous women" by the BBC a few years ago. Last April, she was ranked among the 100 most influential people of the world by Time Magazine.

Please join us and listen to her and tell others!

In Solidarity,
Shahzad Nazir Khan
on behalf of executive and members of
Fraser Valley Peace Council
(A member organization of Canadian Peace Congress)
Tel: 604-613-0735
 

Funds for flood victims in Pakistan, Surrey August 28

With one-quarter of the country inundated, more then 1600 deaths and nearly 20 million people affected, Pakistan is facing its worst natural calamity in history. Billions of dollars of basic infrastructure and homes have been washed away and according to the initial estimate by UN about 7.3 million hectares of productive crop land has been wiped out. 
 The rescue and relief efforts started immediately there and people all over the globe including the Greater Vancouver area initiated aid campaigns towards flood victims. We all contributed and participated at our best in those efforts but there was a feeling to do more. Feeling the pain of our fellow human beings, we the members of Fraser Valley Peace Council (FVPC) & Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians (CPPC) decided to took an initiative to raise some more funds at our own and close family and friend’s circle.  

During this campaign in a small but dedicated effort we have collected just over $13000. Both the organizations have decided to donate this amount to the world's leading independent international medical relief organisation MSF/ Doctors without Borders.

We hereby invite you to a small ceremony where we’ll deliver the above mentioned amount's draft to Doctors without Borders. It is matter of privilege to announce that organizations Vancouver chapter’s representative Mr. Ian Adair will join us there. Ian is in long time association with Doctors without Borders and he has worked in different field locations around the globe including Pakistan. He will share us about his previous experiences from Pakistan and a latest update of floods and role of MSF/ Doctors without Borders there.

When: Saturday, 28^th August at 1.30 pm  

Where: Strawberry Hill. Library 7399 - 122nd Street Surrey, BC V3W 5J2  

The calamity is merciless and could have hit anyone, anywhere! We know that the amount that we collected is just like a drop in an ocean but we believe that every drop counts and the important thing however is that something is done and that it involves more than giving money.  

Please don’t forget that our fellow human beings are in great need and the opportunities to help are endless. 

Fraser Valley Peace Council  (FVPC) &
Committee of Progressive Pakistani Canadians (CPPC)
 

'People to people' towards peace and friendship- Celebrating 14th & 15th August together‏

As two key nations of South Asia India and Pakistan are getting gear-up to mark their 63 years of independence next month in August 2010, continuing to the our previous year tradition, Fraser Valley Peace Council (FVPC) is presenting two days events in joint collaboration with South Asian Network of Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD) and South Asian Film Education Society (SAFES). Our aim is to celebrate the formal end of colonialism in the subcontinent and to commemorate the loss of more than million lives during that period. The program details are as under; (Please also see the attached poster)

Day 1^st

Saturday, 14^th August 2010 (2.00pm to 5.00 pm)

Newton Library Hall

13795-70^th Avenue, Surrey, BC

Public Educational Forum

“Discovery of Independence: South Asia at 63”

A Talk by Dr. Hassan Gardezi  

Free Event- Donations are welcome

Dr. Hassan Gardezi, is a political activist, sociologist and anthropologist, a well known writer and an intellectual. He earned his PhD at Washington State University, USA and has served as Head of Department of Sociology, Punjab University, Lahore. He wrote several journal articles and books on the political economy of Pakistan and South Asia and also published translations of and commentaries on Sufi poetry written in Punjabi, Siraiki and Sindhi languages. Hassan has taught and lectured at a number of North American colleges and universities as well as Pakistani institutions.

Day 2^nd

Sunday, 15^th August 2010 (2.00 pm-5.00 pm)

Simon Fraser University-Surrey Campus (SUR 2600)

13450 102 Avenue, Surrey, BC

Screening of ‘THE SKY BELOW’

A Best Film Debut Award winner documentary on the Partition of India and Pakistan by Sarah Singh.

Sarah will be present at the screening to introduce the film and conduct a discussion with the audience.

Organized by South Asian Film Education Society (SAFES) and supported by SFU, Surrey Campus and Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) and co-sponsored by SANSAD, Pakistan Action Network, Fraser Valley Peace Council (FVPC) and Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS).

Admission by Donation.

Sarah Singh was born in Patiala, Punjab and now living in US since 1974. She is an artist, filmmaker and an accomplished photographer. Much of her fine art from the last 15 years is included in private collections. Sarah has worked in the film and television industry in New York for over 5 years. Her work as a cinematographer, editor, director, and writer has been featured on MTV, Showtime, and the History Channel, along with many independent films

For more information please contact Chin Banerjee 604-421-6752 or Shahzad Nazir Khan 604-613-0735

  

Please join this people to people struggle for peace, communal harmony and shared progress in Indo-Pak sub continent. 

In Solidarity,

Shahzad Nazir Khan

604-613-0735

A gathering with delgates from The Federation of Cuban Women‏

It is matter of pleasure to announce that two delegates from The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Yanira Kuper Herrera and Maritzel Gonzalez-Quevedo Alpizer are visiting here in Surrey. We have arranged a gathering in honor of them. The program is as follows.  

On Friday, 30th April 2010 

At 6.30 PM 

113, 7435, 121 A Street, Surrey, BC V3W 0W8

(It is a condominium Building across the Strawberry Hill Library. On enterance door, press 12 to get in or call Dr. Saif Khalid at 778-987-0813 for further assistance)

The Federation of Cuban Women Federación de Mujeres Cubanas (FMC) was established in 1960 under the revolutionary government with Vilma Espin as its president. She was the president of the FMC till her death in 2007. From its inception the FMC has been successful in effecting positive changes in Cuban society. 

The FMC was deeply involved in the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign and in assimilation of women in the work force, and to push for legislation and social reforms for gender equality. Later, FMC extended its work by supporting the government’s campaigns to educate the public on health and hygiene topics. Another major accomplishment of FMC’s is helping to pass maternity leave laws in 1974. Under these laws, pregnant women are guaranteed three months of paid leave. The FMC has also helped to establish maternity homes, so that virtually all women can deliver their babies under the care of trained attendants, most of whom were FMC volunteers.  

The Federation of Cuban Women or the FMC has a pyramidal structure in which there are local, municipal, provincial, and national levels of representation and leadership. Today, it is recognized as both an NGO and a national mechanism for women. It is not government supported or financed.

The Friday event in Surrey is a free event, however donations for The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) will be welcomed. 

Light refreshments will be served.

In Solidarity,
Members and Executive of Fraser Valley Peace Council
...

Candle Light Vigil in Remembrance of Innocent Victims of Jallianwala Bagh‏

The 13th April, 1919 is considered and remembered as one of the most depressing and brutal event in the history of Indo-Pak subcontinent when the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh took place in a culturally rich, holy city of Amritsar, Indian Punjab. That brutal massacre involved the killing of hundreds of unarmed, defenseless men, women and children by the command of a senior British military officer, Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer.

The troops commanded by him, immediately upon entering the Bagh opened fire without the slightest warning to the crowd to disperse, and targeted crowded areas. The firing started at 17:15 and lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes. The Bagh, or garden, was bounded on all sides by brick walls and buildings and had only five narrow entrances, most of which were kept permanently locked. Since there was only one exit except for the one already manned by the troops, people desperately tried to climb the walls of the park. Some also jumped into a well inside the compound to escape the bullets.

It was determined that 1,650 rounds had plowed into the crowd of about 10,000 people. Later, it was officially announced by the Indian British Government that the killing of 379 Indians including 337 men and women, 41 young boys and a six-week-old baby; and, the wounding of 1,200 people had taken place. Although the actual figure may have been much higher.

The wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen as a curfew had been declared. It was a Sunday, and many neighboring village peasants with others thousands of people had arrived there from different corners of the country and had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to raise voice against the injustice that was being poured on to the people of Indian Punjab by the British Government, and to celebrate the most significant cultural, sacred and secular festival of Vaisakhi.

Like many places where great injustice has taken place, Jallianwala Bagh became a place of pilgrimage, reflection, and a symbol of what the victims stood for (or against). On 13 April 1961, the 42nd anniversary of the massacre, it was inaugurated as a memorial with a 30 foot four-sided pylon called the 'Flame of Liberty'. Upon each face is inscribed 'In memory of the martyrs, 13 April 1919' in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

In remembrance of that bloody Sunday and in memory of the great sacrifice of all those innocent victims, Fraser Valley Peace Council in collaboration with Taraksheel society of Canada is hosting a Candlelight Vigil in Surrey.

Sunday, 18th April 2010
6.30 PM
Holand Park, 135 A Strret, Surrey
Across the street, King George skytrain station


Share views
Light a candle in favor of peace
Raise voices and join hands against any injustice to any people in the world

In solidarity,
Shahzad Nazir Khan
On behalf of:
Fraser Valley Peace Council
Taraksheel Society of Canada

For more info plz call 604-613-0735

Stand against White Pride March by Neo-Nazis‏: March 21/2010

Historically, most Canadians have considered themselves to be more or less free of racial prejudice. Although we have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms but this majority Canadian conception has been challenged many times in history and in recent years. Words like racism, hatred and discrimination are no strange words for people belonging to visible minorities who are now living here for more than 100 years.

For the first time in over 10 years, neo-nazis are attempting to hold a 'white pride' march in the streets of Vancouver. This march will take place on Sunday, March 21st, which is also the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Anti-Racist and Civil Liberties groups are seeking for detailed information but so far it appears that the 'White Pride' event will start from/near New Westminster Sky Train station at 11.00 AM on 21st March. Different organizations and individuals have planned a Multicultural Pride march in direct opposition, at the same time and location.

Support Multicultural Pride March
Sunday March 21
11am
Outside New Westminster Skytrain Station

This is going to be a FUN, SAFE, POSITIVE protest event.

Please join facebook group, Down with Neo-Nazis Vancouver, unceded coast salish territories at Multicultural Pride March against Neo-Nazis

People of all ages, genders, cultures, creeds, sexual orientations are welcome to join hands against this intolerable act. By our presence we'll prove that we Canadians believe in love, peace and harmony; stand with its multicultural and multi ethnic look; and, do not support Neo-Nazis in Vancouver.

For more information, contact:
Fraser Valley Peace Council

Public forum on Palestine, Surrey‏ BC, Oct 31/09

In 1942, some leading Zionists met in New York to formulate plans for a Jewish state, and until this most recent inhuman aggression by Israeli forces against innocent Palestinians in Gaza, the history has witnessed nothing but the brutal and severe war crimes by Zinoist forces in the land of Palestine. The dirty game plans of imperialism all over the world and particularly in occupied territories took thousands and thousands of lives of civilians including a vast majority of women and childern.

To review the situation in a better and closer prospective, Fraser Valley Peace Council is holding a public forum on Palestine.

Saturday, October 31st, 2:00pm

At the Newton Library, Surrey

Dr. Sunera Thobani will be the keynote speaker and will share her observations and views after her recent visit to Gaza and West Bank.

Our other Guest speakers will be Hanna Kawas, a renowned radio host of Voice of Palestine and chairperson of Canada Palestine Association.

And Derrick O' Keefe from StopWar Coalition, who is an eminent progressive writer, peace activist and the editor of www.rabble.ca.

Please join us and be a part of the world who is against all forms of imperialism and wants to live their lives in peace and prosperity.

In Solidarity, Shahzad Nazir Khan

604-613-0735

Organized by

Fraser Valley Peace Council

Member, Canadian Peace Congress & World Peace Council

...

Kathak Dance Evening in Surrey/Delta, May 16/09

Renowned tabla performer/instructor and producer Amarjeet Singh is presenting a rhythmic rememberance in sweet memory of his respected Teacher/Ustad Thakur Kishan Singh (Tabla Guru)

Saturday, May 16th 2009

At North Delta Secondary School

11447 82nd Avenue, Delta BC

Program

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Tabla Ensemble – Students of Amarjeet Singh

Brickhouse – Original Rhythm and Blues

Break

8:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Kathak Dance – Choreography: Mangla Bhatt

Santoor: Harjinder Pal Singh

Tabla Nawaz: Amarjeet Singh

This is a free event

Guests are requested to be seated by 5:30 pm

Shahzad Nazir Khan

Fraser Valley Peace Council

604-613-0735

Pakistan: PUBLIC FORUM AND DISCUSSION

BUILDING PEOPLE TO PEOPLE SOLIDARITY CREATING REAL "HOPE" AND "CHANGE" FOR PAKISTAN

SATURDAY, MAY 30th, 2009

2 pm - 5 pm

Newton Library

13795 - 70th Ave, Surrey

Light refreshments provided

Free Event

Join us for a public forum and interactive discussion on what the future holds for Pakistan. ORGANIZED BY:

Fraser Valley Peace Council, Siraat Collective and Pakistan Action Network (www.pakaction.org)

“If they snatch my ink and pen, I should not complain, For I have dipped my fingers in the blood of my heart. I should not complain, Even if they seal my tongue, For every ring of my chain is a tongue ready to speak” (Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

Media headlines and pundits have been inundating us with images of Pakistan as a nation on the brink of disaster. Pakistan is facing many critical issues: the expansion of the U.S. led War on Terror into Pakistan with continued drone attacks, Obama's AF-PAK strategy, the government’s deal in Swat, the rise of religious extremism and a majority of the population living in poverty without access to basic human rights.

Yet there is also another Pakistan, one in which one of the most vibrant struggles for democracy and rule of law has recently resulted in victory, where poets, lawyers, activists, journalists and other Pakistanis are forging movements of resistance against U.S imperialism, religious extremism and injustice.

In this context, what does the future hold for Pakistan? Speakers will discuss the various issues facing Pakistan and provide an analysis and framework for what we can do as concerned members of the public to contribute to building a movement for justice and peace in Pakistan.

SPEAKERS:

Haider Nizamani, Sunera Thobani, further speakers tbc

Haider Nizamani is a Lecturer in Political Science at UBC. His specialization is in the fields of International Politics, Security Studies and South Asian Politics. Dr Nizamani authored a book "The Roots of Rhetoric: Politics of Nuclear Weapons in India and Pakistan". His other publication is "Limits of Dissent A Comparative Study of Dissident Voices in the nuclear Discourse of India and Pakistan" Contemporary South Asia, 7.3 Autumn 1998. He also contributes to Pakistan's leading English newspapers on national security and political issues.

Sunera Thobani is a professor with the Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations at UBC. She is past president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), Canada's largest feminist organization. Dr. Thobani's tenure at the NAC was characterized by a commitment to making the politics of anti-racism central to the women's movement. Her research focuses on globalization, citizenship, migration, race, and gender relations. Her current projects include "Gender, Globalization, and International Conflict: Representation of Women in the Print Media" and "Television Representations of Women and the War on Terrorism."

For more information:

email: pakact@gmail.com

phone: 604-613-0735

Today- In Rememberance - innocent victims of Jallianwala Bagh‏

April 13th, 1919 is considered and remembered as one of the most depressing and brutal event in the history of Indo-Pak subcontinent when the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) took place in a culturally rich, holy city of Amritsar, Indian Punjab. That brutal massacre involved the killing of hundreds of unarmed, defenseless Indians men, women and children by a senior British military officer, Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer.The troops commanded by him, immediately upon entering the Bagh (Garden) opened fire without the slightest warning to the crowd to disperse and concentrating especially on the areas where the crowd was thickest.

The firing started at 17:15 and lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes. The Bagh, or garden, was bounded on all sides by brick walls and buildings and had only five narrow entrances, most of which were kept permanently locked. Since there was only one exit except for the one already manned by the troops, people desperately tried to climb the walls of the park. Some also jumped into a well inside the compound to escape the bullets.

It was determined that 1,650 rounds had plowed into the crowd of about 10,000 people and later it was officially announced by British Govt. that The killing of 379 Indians including 337 men & women, 41 young boys and a six-week-old baby and wounding of 1,200 (although the actual figure was almost certainly much higher) The wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen, as a curfew had been declared. It was a Sunday, and many neighboring village peasants with others thousands of people arrived there from various corner of the country and gathered in Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) to raise voice against the injustice that was being poured on to the people of Indian Punjab by the British Government beside to celebrate the most significant cultural, sacred and secular festival of Vaisakhi.

Like many places where great injustice has taken place, Jallianwala Bagh became a place of pilgrimage, reflection, and a symbol of what the victims stood for (or against). On 13 April 1961, the 42nd anniversary of the massacre, it was inaugurated as a memorial with a 30 foot four-sided pylon called the "Flame of Liberty." Upon each face is inscribed " In memory of the martyrs, 13 April 1919" in four languages: Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and English.

In remembrance of that great sacrifice and in memory of innocent victims, Fraser Valley Peace Council and Taraksheel society of Canada jointly arranged a candlelight Vigil in Surrey. This event was also endorsed by renowned broadcaster and columnist Gurpreet Singh and rest of the team and management of Radio India.

Shahzad Nazir Khan Fraser Valley Peace Council. 604-613-0735

An important event in Surrey - Tomorrow‏

Dear friends,

Please find the program details of an upcoming small event here in Surrey. It will be an informal political gathering where you will have Miguel Figueroa, the leader of Communist Party of Canada, for a scholarly speech and later on an open Q & A session with participants about latest world wide economic crisis.

Before starting the political session, we are also planning to show an inspiring documentary titled 'Power of Community: How Cuba survived Peak Oil'.

Please join, and honour us.

Regards,

Shahzad Nazir Khan

Fraser Valley Peace Council

RSVP: Dr Saif at 778-987-0813

Celebrating International Women's Day in Surrey‏

International Women’s Day (8th March) is dedicated to the celebration of women’s social, economic and political achievements worldwide. That Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

In the United States, this official day of observance is rooted in women’s efforts to campaign for rights to work, vote and hold public office, when on March 8, 1908, around 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter work hours, better pay, voting rights and an end to child labor. In 1910 at the Second International Conference of socialist women which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, the German socialist leader, Clara Zetkin, proposed to create an international day for women, so as to recognize the struggle undertaken by women worldwide.

After that congress, the concept gained recognition in the international community and grew momentum as women across Europe continued to fight for the right to work and protest against ensuing world conflicts. Since 1910, International Women's Day has been widely accepted on a global scale, in developed and developing countries alike. In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on 28 February.

Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913. International Women's Day, formalized by the United Nations in 1977, not only reminds us about the victories of women, but also invites us to reflect upon the role and status of women in the world at large.Today, International Women’s Day marks an occasion for celebration as well as critical reflection on the world’s progress towards achieving gender equity.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. In recognition of women's struggle, Fraser Valley Peace Council has arranged a rally on Sunday, 8th March 2009, here in Surrey BC.

Please join us and be part of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

We are looking forward to see you and your family there.

Fraser Valley Peace Council 604-613-0735

Message of Peace and Solidarity: Obama visit

Fraser Valley Peace Council

Message of Peace and Solidarity

On the occasion of President Obama’s visit to Canada

Vancouver - 19 Feb 09

The people of Canada have been a part of the optimism that the campaign of President Obama generated before the elections. This was based on the expectations that the US Democrat Party in general and Barrack Obama in particular posed before the US electorate and for appeasing the world opinion that hated the war crimes perpetrated by the US forces around the globe.

Despite of all the euphoria that the people around the world faced on the event of Obama’s election as president with great majority, it is yet to be seen that the hopes of peace and progress for the people of the world are materialized or even an initiative is taken to set a course for fulfilling them. It is regretfully known that the US intends to intensify the war in Afghanistan despite the change in the White House.

Fraser Valley Peace Council, a member of the Canadian Peace Congress, demands that the US explores peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We feel that a political dialogue may be initiated in this regard to find solutions to the conflicts of Middle East and West Asia. The US must stop drone attacks that are against the sovereignty of Pakistan and violative of the UN Charter of Human Rights.

Fraser Valley Peace Council also demands that Canada also recall forthwith its troops from Afghanistan. The US and its allies should spend the money saved from withdrawal on creating jobs and improving social infrastructure during the troubled economic times.

Seminar Invitation- "Liberation Struggle of Palestine"

To raise public awareness
On the terrible human crisis in Palestine
A seminar is being held by Fraser Valley Peace Council

On Saturday, 31st January
At 2.00 PM (sharp)
In Surrey Public Library, Newton Branch, 13795 - 70th Ave. BC V3W 0E1. Surrey, BC.

We cordially invite you to come and join hands
to express solidarity with the people of Palestine
and to show your deep concern over the latest human rights crimes in the region.

Looking forward to seeing you!
Fraser Valley Peace Council.
604-613-0735

Click the image on the left to view program details