Established in 1998, Contact Pakistan (contactpakistan.com) bills itself as the world’s largest virtual community of Pakistanis. With over 600,000 members in 60 countries, Contact Pakistan founder Tahir Butt stated that he views the website as a virtual welfare organization.

“The website began from my wish to do something for the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia. At first it was just a family project, but now it has become much more,” Butt said. “The Internet can be so much more than a means of receiving entertainment or knowledge. I thought that some of the institutions found in the physical world could be taken online. Through Contact Pakistan so many of the functions of a community welfare organization have been projected into the virtual world where they can reach people everywhere. In this fast paced world contacts and connections are being lost. Contact Pakistan is all about bringing back those healing, sharing relationships through the virtual world.”

Contact Pakistan runs using the services of about 150 volunteers who are based all over the world. Butt admitted that he has never even met some of the most active volunteers. All volunteer coordination is done through e-mail and Net meetings. The organization is a labor of love for Butt, who provides all the funding for the website from his own pocket and gives about four hours of his time daily to deal with all the e-mail requests he receives.

“While I give much of my own resources and time to Contact Pakistan, I want to emphasize that this is a team effort,” Butt remarked. “I also want to add that some of the most ardent volunteers on that team are from my immediate family and I want to thank them for all that they do.”

Contact Pakistan uses the knowledge of a bevy of specialists including scientists, physicians and former ministers to reply to all the requests for help and information that they receive. The organization accepts no cash directly but acts as a matchmaker between individuals who want to contribute and those in need. Contact Pakistan can provide proven case studies for projects to be funded and on a smaller scale, its volunteer physicians verify the claims of those individuals seeking assistance with medical emergencies.

“If you need information on sending your child to a university in Australia, we can provide it to you. If you need legal assistance in the US we can tell you how to get it. If you think your baby is not growing or developing properly, we can tell you how to find a reputable doctor and which tests should be done. Anyone in need can reach out to us,” said Butt.

And Butt does mean anyone. While Contact Pakistan began with the idea of serving Pakistanis, it now has many members from outside the Pakistani community.

“Contact Pakistan has become popular among Indians for its career advice,” said Butt. “We welcome anyone who wants to volunteer because we need many different types of information and skills. I view Contact Pakistan as a resource for all of humanity.”