(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) PM praises armed forces operation against terrorists; reiterates his wish for good ties with India googletag.
Students hold a giant representation of a Pakistani flag to celebrate the 68th Independence Day at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah founder of Pakistan in Karachi on Thursday.— AP
Pakistan on Thursday celebrated enthusiastically the 68th Independence Day with several ceremonies and festivities in an unusually peaceful atmosphere thanks to the Pakistan army for waging jihad against terrorists.
After a prolonged hiatus the government arranged a ceremony in Islamabad to celebrate the country’s independence this year — a move many have seen as a bid to counter protest marches organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).
A highlight of the ceremony was a special parade by the armed forces of Pakistan for the first time in several years. The parade included a fly past by fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force.
As he kicked off Independence Day celebrations in the federal capital late on Wednesday night Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that his government would protect democracy at any cost and ensure the rule of law in the country. He urged the nation to build Pakistan as a democratic moderate and progressive country.
Stating that ‘Operation Zarb-e-Azb’ against militants in the North Waziristan Agency was progressing successfully the prime minister said the entire nation salutes those martyred in this war.
“We will not leave our heroes alone … the entire nation will remember their contribution” he said. “The nation has full confidence in its armed forces and we can shed the last drop of blood for our country.”
On the international front the premier reiterated the desire for good ties with India and called for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue. He once again stressed that Pakistan wanted a stable Afghanistan and durable solution to conflict in the country. The prime minster inaugurated a reconstructed Ziarat Residency where country’s founder the Quaide-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah spent last days of his life and which was destroyed by Baloch militants in a bomb attack last year. Sharif lauded the efforts of Balochistan government led by chief minister Dr Abdul Malik to restore relative peace in the province.
The prime minister also condemned Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and urged the international community to take notice of it. “Institutions like the UN will lose credibility in the eyes of the public if they cannot do anything to stop such aggression” he said. Early on Thursday morning the festivities began at the President House where President Mamnoon Hussain Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz and army chief General Raheel Sharif along with other prominent leaders were present.
A 21-gun salute boomed in provincial capitals while a 31-gun salute was given in Islamabad to commemorate the day.
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