CFoP hosted a lunch event on 29th October at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair, central London. The event was attended by two senior Cabinet Ministers, over 350 specially selected guests comprising of entrepreneurs, professionals, diplomats and community leaders and a Minister from the recently elected Pakistani Government. The event sought to engage the Conservative Party with the British Pakistani community.
The event was hosted by Zameer Choudrey, Co-Chairman of CFoP. In his opening address Mr Choudrey touched upon the contribution of the British Pakistanis and the success they have achieved in education, professions and business.
The main speech was delivered by Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Justice. Mr Grayling spoke about his deep appreciation for how closely Britain and Pakistan are linked - and his strong belief in British Pakistanis playing an integral role in society, especially in terms of being job creators all over the UK.
Lord Feldman of Elstree made a speech in which he made clear that the Party is fully behind this engagement effort by CFoP and that the natural home for the community should be with the Party, given the close links on issues such as family, social responsibility and aspiration.
Mr Khurram Dastgir Khan, Pakistani Minister of State for Commerce, Privatisation and Textile Industry spoke about the strong ties between Britain and Pakistan and the importance of transforming these ties to that of "trade - not aid" in the coming years.
The event was closed by Michael Wade, Co-Chairman of CFoP, who thanked guests for attending the lunch and who pointed to the important work ahead in making sure that the community engages with the Party further and becomes more widely involved in British politics.
Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Justice said:
"I am a great friend of Pakistan - as is the Conservative Party. CFoP is doing a great job in further strengthening this relationship and I am proud to give this my full support. The Party has a genuine aim of being representative of all of Britain's different communities - not least the 1.2 million British Pakistanis in the UK."
Lord Feldman of Elstree said:
"The Conservative Party has progressed a lot in recent years and one of the key indicators of this has been the engagement process with the British Pakistani community. It's now our job to show people why the community should find a natural home in the Party given our shared values that shape our beliefs for the future of Britain."
Zameer Choudrey said:
"2015 provides a historic opportunity for the British Pakistanis to make a difference in electoral politics - to speak with one voice - to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Conservative Party - the only political Party that shares our long term aspirations as a community."