ISLAMABAD: The 75th Independence Day of the country was celebrated on Saturday with traditional zeal and fervour and commemorative ceremonies were held in cities all over the country.
The celebrations started with change of guard ceremonies held at Mazaar-e-Quaid and Mazaar-e-Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore, respectively, and 31-gun salutes in federal capital, followed by 21-gun salutes in all four provincial capitals.
The main feature of the celebrations was the flag-hoisting ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr, where President Dr Arif Alvi, who was the chief guest at the event, congratulated the nation on the completion of 74 years of Independence on the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, he said, "Today we realise the difficulties that were faced in the course of Pakistan's freedom," and paid tribute to the leaders of the freedom movement. He also paid rich tributes to father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Allam Iqbal, Liaquat Ali Khan, and others.
"It is due to their sacrifices that we are here today," he said.
The President said that over the past 74 years, "three wars were forced upon us."
"There is an ongoing race for weapons in the region and Pakistan has been deliberately trapped," he said, adding that despite this challenge, Pakistan, which was essentially an agricultural country, managed to meet its food requirements and was now on the way to becoming an industrial country.
Pakistan celebrates 75th Independence Day with patriotic zeal
Recounting Pakistan's accomplishments of the past years, he said when India conducted a nuclear explosion in 1974 Pakistan managed to create a nuclear deterrent within just seven years after that.
Besides that Pakistan had been fighting terrorism after the situation worsened in Afghanistan, adding we sacrificed around 100,000 lives and lost around $150 billion, but came out of that war victorious.
He lauded Pakistan's armed forces and police for bravely fighting terrorism and "setting an example".
In an obvious reference to the west, he said, "We all are witnessed to the actions of nations that claim to be the champions of human rights."
"Compare them with Pakistan... they let refuge drown in seas and rivers but don't give them refuge. Pakistan, on the other hand, gave refuge to 3.5 million refugees," he added.
The President also appreciated the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and launching the Ehsaas programme, appealing to citizens to observe Covid-19 related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The President also drew attention of the international community towards India's atrocities in occupied Kashmir and expressed solidarity with the people of the valley.
"They [the Indian government] are moving towards genocide," he said, adding that due to the influence of the "Hindutva ideology" in India, peace in the region was not possible.
President Alvi also called for peace in Afghanistan and said he was hopeful that peace would be restored in the country.
Prime Minister Imran Khan's message on Independence Day came in a series of tweets by the Prime Minister's Office, which quoted the premier as saying that "Pakistan today can stand tall among the comity of nations."
"Our policies towards reviving the economy, handling the pandemic, and protecting the environment have received universal acclaim," a tweet further stated, adding that like other times, it would overcome the challenges it faced today, "with our characteristic determination and come out stronger as a nation."
The Prime Minister also expressed support for the people of occupied Kashmir.
"Pakistan will continue to extend its full support to the Kashmiris in their just cause. Kashmiris are looking up to the international community to fulfil the promises made to them," he said.
Moreover, he reiterated that Pakistan would "continue to support a negotiated political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan."
"Pakistan will continue to support a negotiated political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. We want peace within and peace without, to pursue our socio-economic agenda," he added.
Meanwhile, President Alvi conferred on the day 126 civil awards on Pakistani citizens and foreign nationals for showing excellence and courage in their respective fields.
The awards include three Nishan-e-Imtiaz, two Hilal-e-Pakistan, six Hilal-e-Imtiaz, four Sitar-e-Pakistan, three Sitara-e-Shuja'at, 17 Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 39 President's Award for Pride of Performance, three Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam, 17 Tamgha-e-Shuja'at, 31 Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, and one Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The investiture ceremony of these awards will take place on March 23.
Besides, the President conferred military awards on officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military awards include; 02 Sitara-e-Basalat, 61 Tamgha-e-Basalat, 42 Imtiazi Asnad, 70 Chief of Army Staff Commendation Cards, 22 Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), 106 Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) and 128 Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
Comments
Comments are closed.