MARCH 23 is celebrated as “Yaum-e-Pakistan” or Pakistan Resolution Day, also Republic Day. It is a national holiday in Pakistan. This day is celebrated to commemorate the Lahore Resolution passed on 23 March 1940 and the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world’s first Islamic Republic. Pakistan Resolution was passed/adopted by the then Indian Muslim League, led by Quaid-i-Azam M.A.Jinnah, at the Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore on 23 March 1940, that called for establishing an independent federation, to be named Pakistan, comprising provinces with a Muslim majority located in north-western and north-eastern regions of British-controlled territories in India.
Based on the Muslim League’s efforts and the Pakistan Resolution, the British plan to partition the Indian subcontinent into two dominions, India and Pakistan, was announced on 3 June 1947, leading to the creation of Pakistan out of British-ruled India on 14 August 1947. Pakistan Day celebrations begin with a gun salute in the federal capital and provincial headquarters, followed by special prayers for independence leaders and martyrs. The national flag is raised high on major government and private buildings, with change of guard ceremonies at the mausoleums of Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the poet-philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
The Republic Day parade, featuring participation from the defense forces and paramilitary units, showcases Pakistan’s major/modern weapon systems and includes aerobatics by Pakistan Air Force pilots and para jumps by the Special Services Group (SSG), inviting Pakistani and foreign dignitaries and the general public to witness. The celebration serves to remind Pakistanis of the significance of Pakistan’s creation and galvanizes them to work towards ensuring social/religious unity and strengthening the nation in various aspects: educationally, health-wise, scientifically/technologically, militarily, and diplomatically. Pakistan came into being because the Hindu majority of united India did not respect the Muslims’ religious values/identity, and during the freedom struggle from the British rule in the 1940s, Congress had refused to meet the Muslim League/Quaid-I-Azam’s demand for reserving Muslims’ seats as per their population in the post-British Indian House of Representatives, and hence the Muslim League demanded a separate home land for the Muslims in the form of the Lahore Resolution. The Indian Congress Leaders had fiercely opposed the creation of Pakistan. Hence India never actually recognized Pakistan and it has always been trying to harm Pakistan. India had forcefully occupied Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947 by deceiving the world about a false instrument of accession. In December 1971, India militarily intervened and exploiting Pakistan’s internal issue, it dismembered Pakistan.
On 5 August 2019, Modi-led BJP government, in total deviance from the UNSC resolutions took away the autonomy of the IIOJK and divided the state into two federally controlled territories. In the last few years, the BJP government ministers and its Army Chiefs have given threats to Pakistan to militarily capture Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Modi has been constantly trying at all major world forums to blame Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism, although ultimately India’s terrorism to kill Sikh leaders in Canada and the US proved that in fact, it was sponsoring terrorism in the region. The aforementioned anti Pakistan actions of India confirm its enmity of Pakistan, especially by the BJP, which is likely to dominate Indian politics in the coming decades.
Militarily there should be no worry for Pakistan with strong armed forces and having nuclear capability from the Indian threats, except that India is using its heavy foreign exchange reserves to further strengthen its air force, navy and missile/nuclear capabilities. For the last many years, Pakistan has successfully fought the war against foreign/Indian-sponsored terrorism, and terrorists are being given a deadly response. An offensive policy to hit Afghan based TTP and BLA terrorists combined with negotiations from the point of strength is likely to work to eliminate terrorism.
The main issue of concern for the Pakistani decision-makers and the people is the foreign and domestic debt-burdened economy and the resultant high inflation and important departments like PIA, Railways, and the Steel Mill operating in the loss for years, thus putting Pakistan’s economy under the threat of defaulting and at the mercy of IMF loan programmes causing further inflation. This situation seems to have arisen out of years-long mismanagement of the economy by the successive Pakistani governments with weak/eyewash handling of the widespread corruption in some government departments and private enterprises. To resolve the economic issue, Pakistani governments, other stakeholders and the people of Pakistan need to start working hard and honestly with full dedication to the country, shunning corruption to do much more to contribute towards increasing Pakistan’s agricultural, industrial and IT software production by using modern technology to meet domestic demand of goods at better prices and increase exports to earn dollars. Also, increasing services efficiency/their export to earn more foreign remittances, earning dollars from IT online jobs/exporting IT-trained manpower abroad, and attracting foreign tourists in Pakistan to earn dollars are required to beef up Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.
This would help to pay back foreign debt instalments without taking further foreign loans and put the country back on the track of the CPEC-based economic development path to ensure the welfare of the poor masses of Pakistan, to make it prosper and militarily further powerful to defend Pakistan from external threats and maintain itself as a competing regional power/player to gain world prominence/significance which it deserves. The Pakistan/Republic Day on 23 March this year is also going to be celebrated with full zeal, enthusiasm and complete dedication/resolve to exploit Pakistan’s economic/defence and diplomatic capabilities to defend/advance its economic/national interests, for which the above-given facts/suggestions may be considered by the Pakistani decision makers in particular and its people in general.
—The writer is also a former Research Fellow of IPRI and Senior Research Fellow of SVI, Islamabad
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