Pakistani students set up food stalls and other exhibits to highlight the country’s culture at Loyola University in Chicago, United States. A large number of people visited the ‘Explore Pakistan Extravaganza’ in which songs and dance performances depicting the rich culture of the country were also staged. Pakistan’s Consul General Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, who was the chief guest on the occasion, urged Pakistani students to become a part of the American mainstream by making inroads into the US political, media and social sectors. Pakistani and Pakistani-American students on Friday turned the campus of Chicago’s Loyola University into a mini Pakistan with food stalls and other exhibits as part of the country’s 70th Independence Anniversary celebrations that attracted a number of people. Songs and dance performances depicting the rich culture of the country and its four provinces were also featured. Speaking on the occasion, Tirmizi said that Pakistan was a kaleidoscope of rich cultural heritage encompassing Indus valley, Gandhara, Islamic, Sikh and Mughal civilisations. He complimented the organisers of the event for projecting the correct image of Pakistan. The consul general urged Pakistani-American students to become a part of the American mainstream by making inroads into the American political, media and social sectors and think of also joining professions other than the usual medical, engineering and business vocations. Tirmizi spoke about the immense economic progress that Pakistan had made despite many security challenges, a fact acknowledged by leading western publications. The rise of middle class could be the driver for stability not only for Pakistan but also for the entire region, he added.