ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: In a bid to conquer the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has underlined the need for abiding by faith, unity and discipline with which the nation rallied behind the idea of Pakistan, and which eventually led to its creation in 1947.
In his message on Pakistan Day being celebrated on Monday with simplicity in the face of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, the foreign minister said that we must not also lose sight of the dire challenge faced by all mankind, the likes of which have rarely been witnessed.
Qureshi said that the COVID-19 Pandemic has shaken the world to its core. It is testing the resolve and resilience of nations and peoples around the globe. The peril has also crossed our doorstep. In this hour of trial, as Pakistanis, we would do well to recall the qualities of sacrifice, faith, unity and discipline with which the nation rallied behind the idea of Pakistan.
The foreign minister said that to be able to successfully defeat this common enemy, we need to marshal the same innate virtues. We need to acknowledge and appreciate the tremendous sacrifices and contributions that our health care personnel and others, and personnel the world over, our soldiers in the forefront of this war, are making to keep us all safe.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that 23 March is the day of commemorating the valiant struggle of our forefathers for a separate homeland that began with the historic Pakistan Resolution of 1940, and culminated in the attainment of freedom seven years later. Under the visionary leadership of Quad-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, they rendered heroic sacrifices and overcame tremendous odds. Against the expectations of its detractors, Pakistan not only survived but flourished. 23 March provides us an opportunity every year, to reflect upon our journey as a nation-state, ponder over the crests and troughs of our national experience, and contemplate about the future. We have come a long way, yet we have a long way to go.
The minister said that Pakistan is not just the name of a territory or a political entity. More than that, it is an ideal, a spirit and an aspiration to actualize the very best virtues of humanity as bequeathed by our great religion. In a world beset by conflict, greed and inequality, the need for this message is perhaps more acute today, than ever before.
Qureshi said that history today stands testimony to the validity and the truth of the two-nation theory. While we pay homage to the vision of our founder this day, we must not forget our 8 million brothers and sisters besieged by the Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who are suffering unimaginable adversity for the crime of yearning for Azadi. With an iron-will, and with all the political, diplomatic and moral force at its command, Pakistan will continue to stand by its Kashmiri brethren, till the dawn of self-determination.
The foreign minister said that I wish to also pay tributes to the patriotism, hard work and commitment of Overseas Pakistanis, who every day, raise Pakistan’s flag high in the comity of nations, and are destined to be the real authors of Pakistan’s success in the years to come, and to let them know, that now and forever, Pakistan belongs to them, just as they belong to Pakistan.
