The Association for the Canadians of Pakistani Origin is the host for the Pakistan Pavilion at various multicultural festivals in Canada. Registered as a not-for-profit organization, the aims and objectives of the ACPo is to showcase the heritage and culture of Pakistan and promote the youth of the South-Asian community in the fields of art, literature and music.

The ACPO has proudly hosted the Pakistan Pavilion at Carassauga Multicultural Festival 2006/2007/2008 and now 2009, the CARABRAM Multicultural Festival 2006 and 2007, Worldfest Cultural Attractions 2007 and the Road to Asia Festival 2008. To share the Pakistani culture with other ethnic communities, the ACPo has put up a elaborate Cultural Costumes Fashion Show and a lavish Pakistani Bridal Fashion Show on stage, published a 40-page full color event souvenir magazine, Pakistan (fifth year in a row). The magazine Pakistan is a useful source of information on regional festivals, the dances and music of the four provinces of Pakistan, foods, myths, the mystique, the glory, the splendour of the magnificent ancient forts and fortresses as well as the legends and the history of the region and civilization during the last 5,000 years.

Briefly, the word Pakistan means "the land of the pure". Established in 1947, Pakistan is a relatively new country but its history and civilization can be traced a good 5,000 years. From the days of Alexander the Great in 323BC, the great traveler Marco Polo used the Khyber Pass, known as the Silk Route, for his trading. Asokha the Great of the Mauryan Dynasty, Tariq Bin Ziad of Spain, the Powerful Ottoman Empire of the Turks, the glorious rule of the Mughal Emperors, the British Empire - all wanted to conquer and rule this region which today comprise the lands of present day Pakistan.

While most countries are home to just one ancient civilization, Pakistan is one of the few nations in the world that can boast of not one, but two of the most ancient civilizations - the Ghandara Civilization, which is the seat of Buddism, and the Indus Valley Civilization, spreading from Taxila in the north to the ruins of Mohenjodaro in Southern Sindh.

For more information on the Association for the Canadians of Pakistani Origin, log on to: www.pakcultures.com