- President hoists national flag on Jinnah’s Ziarat Residency on country’s founding leader’s birth anniversary, urges nation to shun differences to eliminate terrorism
President Mamnoon Hussain Thursday said that Balochistan would be the biggest beneficiary of Pakistan-China Economic Corridor and no decision harming the people of the province would be made in this regard.
Addressing local leaders during a visit to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Ziarat Residency on the birth anniversary of the country’s founding father, the president said Ziarat Residency was of utmost importance for being the last residence of the founder of the nation.
He lauded the Balochistan government for rehabilitating the building within the minimum possible time after terrorists made an abortive attempt to eliminate the “national heritage”.
Paying tribute to Jinnah, the president said that truthfulness, constant struggle and hope were the hallmarks of Jinnah’s life and the nation could regain its lost grandeur by following the same principles.
Referring to the attack on Army Public School and College Peshawar incident, the president said the tragedy had hit the nation’s “soul” badly but the spirit of “live nations” can never be dampened in the face of such adversities.
He urged the nation to set aside their differences and stand united behind the armed forces to overcome the scourge of terrorism once and for all, adding that Pakistan could be made a peaceful country by decisively defeating the terrorists.
“The whole country is grateful to the personnel of security forces for valiantly fighting the enemy,” said the president.
The president also directed the authorities concerned to develop Ziarat as a tourism hub and protect the pine trees in the area.
JINNAH’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED IN ZIARAT:
An impressive flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the newly-renovated Ziarat Residency of Pakistan’s founding leader. The ceremony was organised on Quaid-e-Azam’s 138th birth anniversary.
The president, who arrived in Balochistan a day earlier for a three-day visit, hoisted the national flag.
A large number of people attended the ceremony at the national monument of Ziarat Residency that was attacked and destroyed by armed men in June 2013.
Later, renowned architect Nayyar Ali Dada reconstructed the Quaid’s Residency in a period of four months, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the building on August 14, 2014 in a special ceremony also attended by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif.
The founding leader of the country, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had spent the last days of his life in the hilly resort of Ziarat.
Ziarat is considered a tourist point in insurgency-hit Balochistan province. A large number of tourists visit the town and national monument every summer.
