On Sep 23, 2006, the CPCA celebrated its 4th Annual Day with full enthusiasm and fervor. The celebrations were held  at Sangam Banquette Hall, Mississauga, ON. Canada.

Members of the Parliament, leaders and heads of the local government, political leaders, representatives from various social and cultural organizations and some 250 members of the Pushtun Community attended the meeting.

Although the event was organized at the beginning of the Holy month of Ramadan, the large turnout of members showed their enthusiasm and interest in promoting cultural and social activities.

The celebrations started with offering sumptuous Iftar dinner to all attendees followed by the Maghrib Prayers.

The meeting proceedings started with recitation from the Holy Qur'an by Dr. Farman Ali.

The President of the CPCA (Mashal Khan) delivered his speech to welcome all dignitaries and guests and gave a brief introduction of the Pushtun history and the community.  He specially thanked the following for their support and taking their precious time to be with the community in their social gathering. (Please see full text of the speech here)

Hon.  Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga.

Hon. Omar Alghabra, Member of Parliament, Mississauga-Erindale.

Hon. Bob Delaney, Member of Provincial Parliament, Mississauga West.

Asian Television Network and ARY Digital Network for their providing coverage to the event.

The organization received letters of acknowledgement from various dignitaries, who were invited to attend this event:

A personal message from the Premier, Mr. Dalton McGuinty

Hon. Elizabeth Witmer, MPP Kitchener-Waterloo

Hon. Rick Harringer, Director Resettlement Division

Hon. James M. Flaherty, Minister of Finance

Mr. Howard Hampton, Leader Ontario New Democratic Party

(Abstract from CBC News Last Updated Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:47:00 EDT)

A ten-year old Afghan boy who underwent life-saving heart surgery in Toronto last year is reported to be in poor but stable condition back in his home town of Durani, a village north of Kabul, as money collected for the him and his family sits idle in Canada.

Djamshid Popal was brought to Toronto to have four heart valves replaced and a third repaired last July. The Afghanistan ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad said, "We have heard through other Canadian and hospital sources that Djamshid is not in critical condition and we hope that is the case. Our hope is that he is doing better than what was reported and that if he needs medicine or urgent medical care that we could look at the options that exist to help him."

Djamshid's reportedly suffers from fits of coughing and painful periods when his feet swell up, making it difficult for him to walk.

At the same time, the president of the Canadian Pashtun Cultural Association, Salma Ataullahjan said nearly $16,000 raised over the last year for the boy and his family in Afghanistan, sits idle in Canada.

Ms. Ataullahjan, who helped raise the funds with the East Plains United Church in Hamilton, Ontario said the money is not going anywhere because there are too many problems trying to send it to Afghanistan. "There's red tape and when people get money from overseas, people in that country want to know where the money came from because everyone is afraid you're funding something else, such as terrorism."

Ms. Ataullahjan also said its unclear whether the money raised is tax-deductible. She said every donor must now be contacted to see if they still want to donate the money even if they might not receive income tax receipts. "It's one big mess" she said. "We're asking people to help us. We have troops there, we could send it through the Canadian embassy, but no-one seems to be willing to do anything."

Christopher Alexander, the Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan, said he's been following the case closely but has had no contact with the family directly. He said the issues regarding the allocation of the funding are in Canada. However, Alexander said the government would take any necessary action if Djamshid's health deteriorates further.

Samad said his embassy in Toronto has received appeals from organizers to help resolve the funds situation, but he made it clear he wouldn't get involved because it was a "community matter."

But he too said he would take action to consult professionals and doctors in Afghanistan and Canada is the boy's condition becomes perilous or he runs out of medicine.