The 81st Pakistan Day was celebrated on Tuesday (March 23, 2021) with a renewed pledge to transform the Country into a true Islamic and welfare state in line with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The Day is annually celebrated to commemorate the historic Lahore Resolution adopted in 1940 that provided a framework for the realization of the goal of a separate homeland for Muslims of South Asia.
In connection with Pakistan Day, a Virtual Commemoration of Pakistan Day was organized in New York on March 23 by Pakistan Mission to the United Nations in which Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram also delivered his remarks.
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart, hon’ble PGA @volkan_bozkir ,our brothers from China @ChinaAmbUN ,our neighbors in Iran,Turkey,SaudiArabia,Qatar, Azerbaijan,Uzbekistan,Niger, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, all of them.Your friendship is Pakistan’s strength. #PakistanDay pic.twitter.com/1YWFWhbxZc
— Pakistan Permanent Representative to UN (@PakistanPR_UN) March 23, 2021
The following are remarks by Ambassador Munir Akram at the Virtual Commemoration of Pakistan Day;
“I would like to conclude by thanking you all for participating in this event, which marks the adoption of the Lahore Resolution, declaring the call for an independent nation of Muslims of British India. And we have achieved this with the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the conception of our national poet. Allama Iqbal and the commitment and contributions which were made by so many of our leaders, which were depicted in the short film that you saw.
Pakistan has come a long way. We have been through many travails, but we have also seen many times. Today, we are a strong and determined, and forward-looking nation, which hopes to achieve welfare progress, economic prosperity, and social safety for all our peoples. We have a long way to go and we have a lot to struggle with, in the future. Challenges of peace and security, challenges of development of the unequal economic situation that we face in the world today, but we are fortunate in the fact that we have so many friends. And we are very happy that our closest friends have participated in this event today.
And I would like to thank all of them from the bottom of my heart, our cooperation with the People’s Republic of China, our cooperation brothers, our neighbors in Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, all of them, including the island nation Sri Lanka, which is still with us in some very difficult times. This is our strength. Your friendship is Pakistan’s strength.
And on this occasion, of course, let me just conclude by saying that the process of our independence will remain incomplete until we see our brothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir exercise their right to self-determination. They were expected to exercise the same right of self-determination which the rest of Pakistan did, and to join us in the consolidation in the emergence of Pakistan. They have been prevented from doing so for 70 and more years. But we are confident that as they resist for 70 years, they have resisted the most formidable forces of occupation that one day they will be able to realize their right to self-determination but when they do, Pakistan must exist as a strong progressive, and, and resilient country, because it is only that kind of country which will deserve to have a people join us.
So on that note, my dear brothers or sisters, dear friends, thank you very much for your participation. We deeply value your friendship and your support, and we look forward to continuing and strengthening our relationships with all of you. Thank you so much.”
