MILITARY and civilian leadership as well as the martyrs of “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) were presented with national honours as part of celebrations to mark the country’s 79th Independence Day.
The awards, including both wartime and peacetime honours, were conferred by President Zardari and PM Shehbaz during a ceremony at the Presidency in Islamabad. Awards were conferred upon senior military and civilian officials, members of the PM’s war cabinet as well as the delegation that presented Pakistan’s case to the world in the wake of the military confrontation with India.
It is customary to confer awards on those who contributed significantly to the cause of the country in their respective fields but this year’s ceremony had special significance as the recipients included heroes of the war with India, whose acumen, extraordinary courage and bravery brought a victory to the country that is acknowledged and respected not only by each and every Pakistani but also a majority of the members of the international community. The government has done well by promptly honouring these heroes as their superb professional conduct elevated the stature and image of the country in the comity of nations. Their conduct has also strengthened the sense of pride and sense of security of the people of Pakistan, sending also a chilling message to the enemy about defence capabilities of the country and the sky high spirit of its defence forces, backed fully by the entire nation. The nation demonstrated its sense of gratitude by instantly elevating Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Syed Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal and the governmental authorities had then announced to honour all those who excelled in performance during the short war. Apart from the Army Chief, who led the overall strategic moves during the crisis, the Air Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf were also honoured for their decisive role during the battle. Pakistan Air Force, as usual, displayed its prowess by dominating the air while the preparedness of the Pakistan Navy forced the Indian Navy to abandon its nefarious plans. It is also a reality that apart from the battle field, the war was also won on the diplomatic front – thanks to the leadership of the Foreign Office and members of the delegation dispatched to the important capitals by the Prime Minister to present Pakistan’s point of view in proper perspective and counter false Indian propaganda. In this backdrop, conferment of awards on important cabinet members and head of the diplomatic delegation Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is understandable as it was because of their collective effort that the international community fully understood Pakistan’s view point and India is feeling the heat of extreme isolation as highlighted by several regional and global developments. Apart from the recipients of awards, there are countless people in different walks of life including science and technology, research and development, intelligentsia and media who played their part not only during the recent conflict but in the entire history of the country to make geographical and ideological defence of the country strong and the nation is also indebted to them. The government also deserves appreciation for promptly and exhaustively announcing packages for the families of those who offered supreme sacrifices during the standoff with India. There can be no compensation for the martyrdom they embraced for the defence of the motherland but the nation must take care of their families in a comprehensive manner. It is a reality that there are numerous stories of unmatched services for the cause of the country and their proper presentation and acknowledgement inculcates a sense of patriotism among ordinary souls particularly youth, who are real assets of the nation. Acknowledgement and appreciation of the heroic deeds is laudable but it is all the more important to plan and prepare for the challenges ahead as the enemy is bent upon doing mischief to hard interests of Pakistan in every conceivable manner as evident from state-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan, intensified atrocities in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, conspiracies against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and threats to stop Pakistan’s share of water under the Indus Basin Treaty. In the latest development, India has rejected the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which declared that India must generally “let flow” the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use”. Pakistan had warned and rightly so that any attempt to suspend its share of water under the accord would constitute an act of war, noting that the treaty had no provision for unilateral suspension. Indian belligerence could lead to another conflict and we must remain alert for such an eventuality. With this in view, the creation of the Pakistan Army Rocket Force Command is a step in the right direction as it is tasked to build a long-range conventional strike capability. It will be responsible for operating conventional missiles — including ballistic, cruise and possibly even hypersonic — designed to hit targets far beyond the front lines. However, there is a need to plan and pursue similar projects to upgrade the defence preparedness of Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy as well.
