ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday stressed for holding of a national dialogue and developing a consensus on charter of economy by all the stakeholders to transform Pakistan into an economic power.
Speaking at the flag raising and national anthem re-recording ceremony at the Jinnah Convention Centre, the prime minister said that, like their ancestors, on this 75th Independence Day, they vowed to turn Pakistan into an economic powerhouse.
“If we can be a nuclear power, we can also be an economic power, but for this we must work day and night to prove to the world that we are no less than anyone in the world,” the prime minister added.
The ceremony was attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians, senior military and law enforcement leaders and people from all walks of life.
The prime minister added: “The Pakistan movement is a lesson for everyone, it tells us that when a country designs its own path, obstacles like mountains and distances like sea cannot prevent them from achieving their goals.”
The prime minister recalled that when Allama Iqbal dreamed of an independent homeland, an unworkable pessimism arose.
“We salute the founding fathers of Pakistan who broke through this pessimism, who are now breathing an independent and sovereign nation thanks to their historical struggles,” he added.
The prime minister said that for decades, Muslims in the subcontinent, facing foreign conquest, gave their lives, made great sacrifices, made historic migrations and lost loved ones on the perilous journey to achieve an independent state.
He said they handed over an ideological state and paid tribute to all those who lost their lives in the independence movement.
He said that the creation of Pakistan is a sacred commission and mission, the first phase has been completed but the second phase has not been completed. “Our mission is to provide tangible form to those ideals reflected in the March 23 resolution,” he added.
He said that after independence, Pakistan was deprived of its fair share, but despite this, it has made great progress in different fields to become the seventh nuclear power in the world and the first in the Islamic world.
He insists that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto started the nuclear program, which former Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif was aware of.
The prime minister said Pakistan played a key role in the UN peacekeeping operation and its players raised the national flag at different matches.
“In fact, we have made progress in different areas, but we have to do it at the speed of this mission, and there are deficiencies that should be overcome,” he stressed.
He also stressed the need to look back and reflect on the country’s past history.
The Prime Minister decided that in order for Pakistan to become the ideal nation-state dreamed of by the Founding Fathers, they would be ready to shed the last drop of blood, thwart the enemy’s plots with the support of the brave armed forces, and unleash the true potential of youth to lead the way forward.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Almighty Allah for attending the 75th anniversary celebration, and praised the contributions made by the Pakistani diaspora and their valuable contributions to the development and prosperity of the country.
He also prayed for the liberation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Occupied Palestine from the illegal foreign occupation.
The prime minister expressing his deep grief and sorrow over the recent losses in the flash floods, said the recent rainfalls caused destruction and huge losses in different parts of the country, especially in Balochistan as hundreds had lost their lives and children were left orphans. He prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
The prime minister said on this day, they also acknowledged the contributions of civil society members like late Abdul Sattar Edhi and Dr Ruth Pfau.
The prime minister also highlighted the minorities’ role in Pakistan Movement and appreciated their sacrifices.
He said Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had stressed on the religious freedom in the newly created Pakistan as there would be rule of law, constitution and democracy.
He said the government accorded high priority to realize the true potential of the country’s youth and expressed the optimism that youth would steer the future course of country’s progress and prosperity by following Quaid’s principles of unity and discipline.
He urged them to turn Pakistan into an ideal country and an economic powerhouse, throw away the begging bowl and fulfill their ancestral mission.
