A three-month-long cultural gala arranged across Canada through a series of online initiatives and programmes to equip the Canadian Pakistani youth with the knowledge and understanding of the language, arts and culture of the country opened in Ottawa on Monday. Attending the inaugural session of the event as part of the cultural diplomacy undertaken by the Pakistan High Commission in Canada, Consul General Janbaz Khan commended the organizers and conveyed them the best wishes of High Commissioner Raza Bashir Tarar. He hoped that the Pakistani Canadian youth would find the activities interesting and absorbing from the point of view of learning about their culture and heritage, a message received here from Ottawa said. The Consul General reminded the Canadian Pakistani youth that while Canada was their home, they shared a strong bond with Pakistan which was the land of their parents and forefathers and it was important to be well-equipped with the knowledge and understanding of Pakistan’s culture and heritage to negotiate multiple intercultural expressions and manifestations in life. Dubbed as ‘Pakistani Canadian Youth Cultural Program’, the three-month-long event would comprise a set of 13 different online sessions arranged jointly by the Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association (PCCA) of Alberta and the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation. It would be run from June to August 2021 through various sessions featuring a mosaic of activities, tutorials and learning sessions to impart the Pakistani Canadian youth knowledge and understanding of the history, geography, culture, language, music, cuisine, sports and heritage of Pakistan. A team of well-versed Pakistanis with experience and expertise in various facets and fields of the arts and cultural scene of Pakistan has been assembled to conduct the 13 sessions likely to be attended by a majority of the enthusiastic youths belonging to the Pakistani Diaspora in Canada.