President General Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that Pakistan, having achieved a strong defence and a fast-growing economy, is a country on the rise and the way forward for the nation is enlightened moderation. "The way forward for us is enlightened moderation, but we must differentiate between enlightened moderation and the Westernisation - enlightened moderation does not at all mean Westernisation", he said late Wednesday evening at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Addressing a cultural programme, "Watan Kahani" held to mark he Pakistan Day, the President said the people should be proud of its culture and arts, which should stay within the societal norms and traditions of Pakistan.
The President said: "We have to have balance in our performances, in our attitudes - when we talk of our culture, we must strike a balance, we must remember that we have our own culture and our own traditions to guard and project."
"Let us have arts, let us have music, but let us not go out of our societal limits, norms, and traditions," he said at the function attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, members of federal cabinet, members of parliament, sportsmen, artists and senior civil and military officials.
The government, he said, is for promoting Pakistan's image through its arts and culture and would facilitate the artists in this endeavour. "We are a country that knows arts and values its culture," he remarked.
The people, he said, should be proud of their country, as it is Pakistan, which gives them identity. He praised the performance of artists, who won great acclaim from the audience for their remarkable performance of national songs.
"We are determined to take Pakistan forward, and I am sure that with determination and good intentions, nothing will stand in the way of Pakistan's progress, said Musharraf. The programme concluded with the inspiring national song "Jeeway, Jeeway Pakistan."
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