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Petarians
have organized themselves into active associations in different cities of
the world. The most active associations are the following:
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TPA
(The Petarian Association, Karachi)
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PANA (Petarian
Association of North America)
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PASA
(Petarian Association of Saudi Arabia)
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PAUAE (Petarian Association of UAE)
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PAE
(Petarian Association of Europe)
The Petarian
Association, Karachi (TPA):
Founded in 1982, the Petarian Association,
Karachi has become the focal point of gathering for all Petarians,
particularly those in Pakistan. The association is a successor of the Petaro Old Boys Association (POBA)
that existed informally for a few years in the late 1960s, and then became defunct. The Petarian Association
was registered under the Societies Registration Act-XXI of 1860 on the 4th
of February 1982 under registration no. KAR-7210.
Over these years, the association has
hosted numerous functions that provide a social meeting ground for the
Petarians and their families. The Association presently has over 900 life
members. All Petarians are requested to patronize the Association by
becoming life members. If you would like to become a member, please contact
the Association office at Fleet Club, Karachi.
The Commander Karachi (COMKAR) of the
Pakistan Navy (who is the Chairman Board of Governors of Cadet College
Petaro) has always been invited to be the Patron-in-Chief of the
Association. The Principal of Cadet College Petaro is the Patron of the Association.
The Association publishes a newsletter called "Petarian News",
which is circulated to its members. In addition, a souvenir is normally published once a year which provides biographical
details of some prominent Petarians.
Social functions of the Association include musical nights, sports days,
picnics, and gala events. These events have been crucial in bringing the families of the Petarians to know each other.
The most active chapter of the Association is the one based in Karachi.
In addition, the Hyderabad chapter has also been very regular in its meetings and functions. The chapters in
Lahore and Islamabad have had an erratic history - having been active at different periods of time.
The Islamabad chapter has been a lot more active since 2006.
In recent years, student chapters were set up at NED University,
SSUET, Karachi University, and other higher education institutes. The
Association funded book banks at these universities to assist the Petarian
students, and organized seminars.
The Petarian
Association, Karachi celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25 years of existence)
with Mr. Mohammedmian Soomro as the Chief Guest. The function was organized
on a grand scale on 13 January 2007.
In May 2009,
the Association hosted a dinner for the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman
Bashir at PC, Karachi that was attended by prominent Petarians.
TPA is
currently going through a major transformation, where it aims to incorporate
changes in its charter to convert it into a Global Alumni body of Petarians
all over the world.
In recent times, we have seen Petarians in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA/Canada and
other parts of the world taking a keen interest in organizing local gatherings of families and friends. These
informal gatherings led to the creation of Petarian associations in different countries as follows:
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PANA or the Petarian Association of North America catering to the over
500 Petarians living in the USA and Canada.
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PAUAE or the Petarian Association of UAE catering
to the nearly 150 Petarians living in the UAE
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PASA or the Petarian Association of Saudi Arabia
catering to the nearly 50 Petarians living in Saudi Arabia
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PAE or the Petarian Association of Europe catering to the nearly
100 Petarians living in Europe
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