ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain stressed on Monday that the people need to shun their differences and come together to secure the country’s future.
He was addressing the main flag hoisting ceremony being held at Convention Centre, Islamabad.
Hussain prayed for the country’s welfare and thanked the Chinese guests for attending the ceremony. “This [presence] proves that the relations between the two countries are strong,” said the president.
He said the youth should not be dejected when thinking about their future and advised them to strive for the betterment of the country.
“The nation’s basic mood is democratic and parliamentary,” said the president. China’s Vice Premier Wang Yang, who is on a visit to Pakistan, was the guest of honour. Speaking at the event, Yang expressed gratitude at being invited to the ceremony. He paid tribute to the sacrifices of Pakistan for eliminating terrorism and maintaining peace in the region. He praised the bilateral friendship of the two countries, which has “withstood the test of time”. “China cannot thank Pakistan enough for its aid in natural disasters as well as support in the United Nations,” he said.
Earlier, Hussain hoisted the national flag following which the national anthem was recited.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, services chiefs and other senior civil and military leaders, as well as foreign dignitaries, are in attendance.
Prime Minister’s message
Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in an earlier message, said that the Quaid-e-Azam had envisioned Pakistan as a modern democratic entity which faced myriad challenges. He said “We may belong to different tribes, fraternities and ethnicities; we may be working in different spheres of national life; our political vision and thinking can be different and our economic vision may have different perspectives but ascendancy of national interests and invincible defense are common objectives of the entire nation, for which we have to make collective endeavours.”
He further said that Pakistan desired positive and constructive relations with all the countries of the world, especially with its neighbours on the basis of sovereign equality.
The people of South Asia have suffered enormously in the last fifty years due to the festering conflicts. Until and unless those conflicts were resolved amicably the people of the region could not achieve prosperity and progress, he added. He said the government invariably made efforts to initiate the process of meaningful dialogue and adoption of peaceful means to resolve the issues, but unfortunately the expansionist designs of India remained main hurdle in this
regard.
He said it was incumbent upon the international community to play its role in the resolution of the regional conflicts, particularly the Kashmir dispute in conformity with the UN Resolutions on the subject with a view to ensuring durable peace in the region. The prime minister said terrorism was the biggest challenge confronting the world in the twenty first century.
The prime minister further noted that the younger generation of Pakistan was endowed with exceptional talent and has a burning desire for advancement. “My government has a vision of accelerating the pace of development and prosperity in Pakistan so that all those professionals can return to contribute to this national effort,” he added.
He assured that tomorrow’s Pakistan would secure the implementation of guiding principles of rule of law and ascendancy of merit. On the 70th independence day of the country, the prime minister made a solemn pledge that they would not relent until the achievement of those objectives.
The flag hoisting ceremony is underway at the Convention Centre, Islamabad