All arrangements have been finalised to celebrate Pakistan Day today across the country with traditional zeal and enthusiasm.
The event commemorates the passage of the historic Lahore Resolution, now called “Pakistan Resolution”, which laid the basis for the creation of Pakistan.
The day will dawn with special prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country and with a 31 gun-salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals.
The national flag would be hoisted on important public and private buildings throughout the country and on all Pakistani missions abroad. A public holiday has already been announced in this regard.
Governmental, political, cultural, social and other organisations have chalked out various programmes to mark the day in a befitting manner.
Several dignitaries are expected to visit the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and lay floral wreaths and pay homage to the father of the nation. Similarly several dignitaries will visit the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal in Lahore and will pay homage to the great poet and philosopher.
Pakistan Day will also be celebrated with great fervour in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistan Television, Radio Pakistan and all private channels will air special programmes to highlight the significance of Pakistan Day and the various aspects of the life and works of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other leading personalities. Newspapers will also publish special supplements in connection with the day.
Speaker greets nation on Pakistan Day
National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza greeted the nation on Pakistan Day and said that March 23 had a special significance in the history of sub-continent. In her message, the speaker said that 73 years ago on this day, the Muslims of south Asia, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Lahore, resolved to work for an independent Muslim state. She said in a press release issued on Friday that the Lahore Resolution induced a new vigour and impetus to the movement of independence and gave Muslims a new sense of purpose and direction. Dr Fehmida Mirza said that for centuries non-Muslims had lived peacefully and had enjoyed complete religious freedom under Muslim rule in sub-continent. “However, the government which came into power under government of India Act 1935 shocked the Muslims of India, making them realise that their rights would not be protected in a united India,” the statement said. “They were thus left with no choice except to demand independence not only from the yoke of colonialism but also from Hindu domination” she said. The speaker said that the Quaid-e-Azam embodied Islamic principles of tolerance and humanism which encouraged him to rally around not only Muslim public opinion but also support the demands of other minorities and create a separate Muslim homeland. “It is a tribute to his leadership that within a short period of seven years, he secured Pakistan against heavy odds through peaceful means,” she said. She said that while celebrating Pakistan Day, it was incumbent upon us to resolve the spirit of national unity and follow the Quaid’s guiding principles of unity, faith and discipline. “Let us resolve to make all our efforts to achieve the objectives for which Pakistan was created and also to make Pakistan a strong prosperous and a democratic country where the will of the people, equality, justice and brotherhood reign supreme,” she said.
