Namal Scholarship Club Fundraiser in Sacramento a Resounding Success
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Whenever there is a worthy cause associated with their home country, Pakistani Americans in Northern California are willing to step up and do what they can. America, our adopted country, has provided us a path to success in business or professional life, and an opportunity to help those in Pakistan who are struggling to get ahead. We all know that to succeed there, for those not already well-connected, or already affluent, a good education remains key. That is where Namal University in Mianwali District (Sargodha Division) comes into the picture. The place is in the in Punjab (Salt Range area) on the KPK border and is known for its mix of Saraiki speakers, Punjabis and Pathans, with the Awan’s and the Niazi-Burki cricket players being the most prominent.
Although Lahore born, one person with family roots in Mianwali, i.e. Imran Khan Niazi, has distinguished himself in the world of Cricket, philanthropy and politics which include leading Pakistan to a World Cup victory in 1992, the setting up of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center (established 1994), and founding and leading the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party in 1996. Imran Khan has always been a man of vision, one who has turned some of his ideas into reality. And one such example is Namal University, a part of the Imran-envisioned Namal Knowledge City which has given an opportunity to some in the country, often from economically struggling backgrounds, to attend a center of educational excellence.
To run a world class university where most of the students receive financial assistance requires resources. It was for this reason that a fundraiser was held in the Sacramento, California area on Friday May 30, 2025, at the Town and Country Event Center in Rancho Cordova which brought together about 150 people for a worthy cause. Locally arranged by Farooq Azhar, Dr Wajahat Khan, Kamran Malik, Javaid Akhtar and Qamar Hussain along with Asif Sattar and Dr Mutahir Khan, the event drew supporters from far and wide. And for some like this writer were also curious about Walid Iqbal, the son of Justice Javed Iqbal and grandson of Pakistan’s National Poet Allama Iqbal, who was the chief guest here.
Emcee Tayyaba Wahla who did a nice job here this evening announced that dinner was served first. This gave the attendees some extra time to arrive and others an opportunity to socialize. Thanks to Town and Country’s Waqar Khan and Chef Amir for serving a delicious meal in a casual manner. Dinner time also gave us an opportunity to converse with some of the guests. including Sajjad Burki and of course Senator Walid Iqbal.
Tayyaba returned and invited young Ajmal Mateen to make the call for Maghrib prayer which was performed promptly. Hafiz Usman Khalid next opened the formalities with a fine recitation of the Holy Qur’an along with the translation of the verses. This was followed by a timeline video on the genesis of Namal University, turning a concept into reality featuring Imran Khan in which he explained that countries are built on knowledge cities. For Pakistan to fulfill its potential, this project must succeed, he said. Khan Sahib also specifically thanked California-based architect Tony Ashai for his remarkable work designing the Namal Knowledge City.
The first guest speaker was Sajjad Burki who wears many hats in projects related to Imran Khan, including political. At this event he was going out to bat exclusively for the skipper’s Namal educational project. Burki first thanked all present for attending and expressed his hope that this effort to fund scholarships at Namal University would be generously supported here. He also thanked the local team led by Farooq Azhar who helped to put this event together. Special thanks were expressed for the presence and support of Senator Walid Iqbal who has been accompanying this series of fundraisers for Namal in America for about a month now.
Burki continued with information (slide show) on what Namal is, and its status in the US. Checks and other forms of donations were to be made to Friends of Namal Inc which is a recognized tax-exempt section 501(c)(3) organization based in Texas. All donations are deposited into a US account. He also shared the location specifics of the Namal Knowledge City, the uniqueness of the area which includes a beautiful lake, hiking trails and even some hot springs. The complex has been built to international standards, he added. The specialty areas of degrees awarded, student life including lodging (almost 100% of students live on campus) and information for visitors were also shared. One major surprise was the high number of female students admitted recently. Burki explained that all admissions are merit-based and that Namal graduates are already successfully contributing to Pakistan. He said that individual student costs are $3,500 per year with a four-year course completion being $14,000.
Next, adding some inspiration for all to do our Islamic duty to support education was Usayd Azhar who never ceases to amaze the community with his wisdom. Usayd took us on a journey to the blessed city of Medina and the pursuit of education in early Islam. He said that supporting Namal was an investment in people and an opportunity for us to be a part of an ongoing charity, the rewards from which may never end.
The evening keynote was next delivered by Senator Walid Iqbal. In both style and clarity his speech was spot on, and he spoke in both English and Urdu which he mixed with relative ease here. What do you get when you mix Allama Iqbal and Harvard Law School? You get the very articulate Walid Iqbal. He started off by expressing his pleasure being in Sacramento, the capital of California for the first time as a goodwill ambassador of Namal University. He asked everyone to give a round of applause for Burki Sahib and to local team who put this event together. He said that he would focus on two world famous personalities who he was representing here; Allama Iqbal because he is his descendent and Imran Khan whom he continues to represent in the Senate of Pakistan and in the Namal Education Foundation.
Senator Iqbal said that before and during dinner earlier he gathered that the people here retained a keen interest in poetry, their culture and country of origin which really inspired him. But he was also left with the question whether he would be able to equally inspire such a gathering in return. The focus of his talk here was also derived from these words from a speaker at an event many years ago: Baat agar shuru Allama Iqbal se hoti hai to khatam Imran Khan pe hoti hai. Aur Agar shuru Imran Khan se hoti hai to khatam Allama Iqbal par hoti hai. In Senator Iqbal’s opinion the two personalities were somehow connected and inseparable. He reflected on his visit to Delhi University in 2015 (India-Pakistan relations were better then) where he addressed the faculty of the Urdu Department. During a small gathering afterwards, the poetry of Ghalib, Meer, Daagh Dehelvi, Faiz, etc. was brought up. Then one individual said that Allama Iqbal’s Lab pe aati hai dua (A prayer comes to my lips) to him was the most innocently beautiful of them all. Walid recited and delved into this poem for us here, a real trip down memory lane for many of us. He said that there was a message in the poem for all especially pertaining to education and one reason why we should support efforts like Namal University.
Senator Walid Iqbal shared a lot more, but we will have to save that for another time. The fundraiser which followed was a success thanks to the many generous donors present. That program segment ended with words of appreciation from Javaid Akhtar, Farooq Azhar and a Dua by Sister Orooj.
Closing the evening was entertainment provided by Pakistani pop singing icon Ali Haider who sang both his old and new favorites and those of our legendary singers, many of whom are no longer with us.
