OUR HISTORY
How it all began......
The organizational activities started with a meeting of friends of Karachi University on June 8, 1997 at Chandi Restaurant in Langly Park, Maryland. During this meeting, a Committee was formed with Mr. Aquil Ahmed being the chair. The Committee was tasked with unifying all Karachi University Alumni supporters based on democratic principles to help Karachi University students. The Committee and participants endeavor ultimately resulted in the establishment of the University of Karachi Alumni Association of the Baltimore-Washington, DC, Area (UKAA).
Dr. Mohammad Ali Khan subsequently sent a questionnaire to 190 alumni to solicit their feedback on the organization's structure and Bylaw provisions. The opinions received led to the establishment of UKAA. In March 1998, the UKAA held its initial election and elected Dr. Mohammad Ali Khan as its inaugural president. More than 300 guests attended the first UKAA annual musical function and dinner at Noor Mahal in October 1998.
UKAA was incorporated in the State of Virginia in July 2000, and in January 2001, it was registered with the IRS as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The fundraising endeavors were initiated by hosting a literary evening at the residence of Mrs. Firoze Khan, where Dr. Pirzada Qasim was in attendance. In June 2000, three Pakistani literary legends—Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi, Amjad Islam Amjad, and Iftikhar Arif—congregated on the platform of UKAA in a historical literary event sponsored jointly with Awaz TV and Bazm-e-Adab.
Dr. Aquil ur Rahman introduced the concept of an endowment program to offer annual perpetual scholarships. He initiated the fundraising process by inviting legendary singer Alamgir to perform at a fundraising event at his residence in November 2023, which resulted in over $30,000 in donations.
The first scholarship by UKAA was awarded in 2005. Since then, UKAA has been able to attract many benefactors as a result of the significant contributions and dedication of Mr. Tariq Husain, the Chair of the Endowment Board of Trustees, and other contributors.
It was a proud moment for UKAA when in 1999, UNICEF partnered with us to raise funds for the education of Afghan Children. UKAA also supported numerous charitable events and initiatives on a local and international scale, including the volunteer firefighters in Virginia and Maryland, the tsunami disaster in Indonesia and the earthquake and flood victims in Pakistan.