74th Independence Day: Message from Imran Khan (Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan)

TEXT: I congratulate the entire nation on 74th Independence Day. This auspicious occasion is a moment to reaffirm our pledge to continue pursuing the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The day is an occasion to pay tribute to all those sons of the soil who laid their lives while defending and protecting territorial as well as ideological frontiers of the motherland.

This day is an occasion to pause and to reflect as to how far we have been able to achieve those ideals that led to creation of an independent state. During past seven decades of our journey, we have confronted with various challenges. We have battled against odds both at external as well as internal fronts. From the hostility of a neighboring country, with its known hegemonic intentions, to the scourge of terrorism and from coping with natural calamities to fighting pandemics, our nation has always shown resilience and perseverance. Today, we reiterate our pledge to remain steadfast and embrace every challenge holding the torch of "Unity, Faith and Discipline".

In our efforts to reach our goal, we are diligently working to give this country a system of governance which conforms to the ideals and objectives of independence. We are endeavoring to build a system where rule of law prevails. We have chosen "Riyasat-i-Madina' as our role model.

While we celebrate this Independence Day, our hearts are profoundly grieved by the sufferings of our brethren in IIOJK who are facing military siege since past one year. We stand firmly behind our Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for their right to self-determination. We will continue to raise voice of the helpless Kashmiris at all available forums. We will continue to sensitize the international community of grave human rights violations in IIOJK and the threats to peace and security of the region posed by the supremacist RSS ideology pursued by the BJP government. I am confident that the struggle and resilience of brave Kashmiris will culminate into their inalienable right of self-determination.

May Almighty Allah bless and crown our efforts with success to rebuild the country in consonance with the vision of its founding fathers and also bestow freedom upon our Kashmiri brethren in IIOJK to complete the agenda of the partition.

Ameen.

Pakistan Paindabad.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020