President Asif Zardari on Monday said the people must remain alert to new forms of assaults on the constitution and parliament, as he urged the nation to work together and commit to the progress of the country by setting aside mutual differences.
In his message on the country’s 65th Independence Day, Zardari said that Quaid-e-Azam envisioned Pakistan as a country where democracy, constitutionalism and rule of law would reign supreme.
“Let us on this day rededicate ourselves to the democratic ideals and principles of the Quaid. Adherence to the principle that political choices must be made by the ballot, and not imposed through bullet, demands that we banish from our midst all forms of bigotry, extremism and militancy,” he said. Zardari said while it was natural to rejoice today in our independence celebrations, it is also an occasion to pause and ponder over whether we have moved towards or away from the ideals for which Pakistan was created.
The president said unfortunately for most part of Pakistan’s independent existence, the people were often denied the right to rule and constitution repeatedly abrogated.
He said it was reassuring that the president and parliament unanimously restored to a large extent through the constitution of 1973.
“The restoration of the constitution by all political forces and provinces raises our hope that despite setbacks we would revert to our true bearing and restore to Pakistan the values and ideals for which it was created,” he said.
Separately, in his message on Independence Day, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the present coalition government had undertaken various historic initiatives during the last four-and-a-half years and pursued a policy of reconciliation. The passage of the 18th constitutional amendment empowered the federating units administratively as well as politically. The PPP government is committed to providing an equal status for minorities as citizens of the state, the PM said.
“We are confronted with various challenges such as energy crisis, law and order problem, economic difficulties, terrorism, and extremism, which have slowed down the pace of socio –economic development. Despite all the difficulties, Pakistan is a vibrant polity where judiciary is independent, parliament is functioning, Media is vibrant and civil society is active,” Ashraf added.
On Independence Day, president warns against attacks on constitution
