Staff Reporter
Islamabad
President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi on Friday paid rich tribute to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the occasion of his 144th birth anniversary for founding a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
The president urged the nation in his message to follow Jinnah’s footsteps in all walks of life and make Pakistan a strong and prosperous country.
Dr. Arif Alvi said we should reaffirm our commitment to building a state that respects the diversity of its people and provides equal opportunities to its citizens irrespective of their religion, caste, creed or colour. He said on this day, we must also remember the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, who are being subjected to the worst kind of state-terrorism for over seven decades.
It is pertinent to mention here that the nation is celebrating Quaid-e-Azam’s birth anniversary today with traditional zeal and renewed commitment to work hard for progress and prosperity of the country.
Public holiday has been declared at all the government institutions and the national flag is hoisting atop all public and private buildings. The day dawned with Qur’an Khawani at the Quaid’s mausoleum in Karachi. An elegant change of guards ceremony was held at the Mazar-e-Quaid where Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) cadets assumed the guards’ duties.
Commandant PMA Major-General Omer Ahmed Bokhari was the chief guest and inspected the contingent comprising male and female cadets. He offered Fatiha, laid a wreath of flowers and recorded his impressions in the visitor’s book. Special programmes are being held across the country to shed light on the Quaid’s struggle for creation of Pakistan and to highlight his guiding principles of unity, faith and discipline.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said minorities in Pakistan have equal rights and the government was providing them opportunities without any discrimination. In his felicitation message to the Christian community on the eve of Christmas, the Foreign Minister said Pakistan was the only country in the world where minorities were represented in the national flag.
The Foreign Minister said providing rights to minorities was part of the Islamic faith and Constitution of Pakistan also protected this privilege. On the other hand, he said, the neighboring India, which claimed to be secular and a champion of human rights, discriminated against minorities, particularly the Muslims.
