Federal Minister Mehmood Ali has urged upon the masses to forge unity and solidarity for a stronger and prosperous Pakistan.
He criticised successive Pakistani rulers for extending their begging bowl before superpowers and compromising the country's sovereignty from time to time.
In this perspective, he stressed the need of achieving self-reliance in every field and advised the masses to be transformed into a single entity by setting aside sectarian, regional and linguistic differences.
He was speaking at a ceremony organised in connection with the Independence Day celebrations by Bazm-e-Pakistan on Saturday to honour those who participated in the Pakistan movement.
He urged on the masses to strictly follow golden principles enunciated by the founder of the country, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
He said that the Quaid wanted to unite the Muslims of sub-continent on a single platform and hoped that his incomplete mission would be further accomplished by the people of this separate Muslim homeland.
However, he regretted that instead of propagating the Quaid's mission the inability of leaders and rulers of the country led to further division of the already mutilated Pakistan into two parts.
He also called for redefining the ideology of the country in the light of Islamic tenets and Quaid's principles.
Earlier, sharing the experience of his association with Quaid-e-Azam, veteran journalist and Chief Editor of daily Business Recorder Mohammad Ahmed Zuberi recalled the pre-partition days and the discrimination meted out to the Muslim population by the Hindu majority.
He pointed out that in all the government posts, Hindus were being promoted, whereas Muslim officers were being cornered. Recalling many of the advice given to him by Quaid-e-Azam, he asked the new generation to discharge their duties with full commitment and devotion.
He advised the young generation to serve the country efficiently by applying their mind objectively to their work and never seek any undue favour.
Those who also spoke on the occasion and received Tahreek-e-Pakistan Award for their active role in the Pakistan movement were Waqar Ahmed Zuberi, Nabi Buksh Baloch, Qari Mohammad Aqeel, Bashir Farooq, Begum Akhtar Jahan, Mian Ghulam Rasool and Mohammad Rafiq.