ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is observing the 74th death anniversary of the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on Sunday (today) with the pledges to follow his golden principles of “unity, faith and discipline”.
The day dawned with special prayers in mosques and other worship places for eternal peace for departed soul and for prosperity and peace of the country.
The Quaid was born on September 25, 1876, in Karachi. He received his primary education in the city and went abroad for higher studies. Jinnah served as leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan’s creation on August 14, 1947. Under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, Muslims struggled for a separate country. He then served as Pakistan’s first Governor-General until his death on September 11, 1948.
President Dr Arif Alvi paid rich tribute to Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for his vision, unwavering commitment, untiring hard work, and charismatic leadership to win a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.
In a message on the 74th death anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam, he said, “On this day, we also remember Quaid for his struggle, for giving us a country, and pledge to focus on his advice for infusing Unity, Faith and Discipline in our ranks and files.”
Allama Iqbal, the poet and philosopher of the East, dreamt a separate homeland for Muslims of India and Quaid -e-Azam turned the dream into reality, he added.
The President said, “Our Quaid, in one of his addresses, outlined the purpose of making Pakistan. He said that brotherhood, equality and fraternity of man—these are all the basic points of our religion, culture and civilization. And we fought for Pakistan because there was a danger of denial of these human rights in this sub-continent.”
“How can we gel into one nation was also spelled out by Quaid-e-Azam. He said, ‘We are now all Pakistanis, not, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else ‘.”
“On this occasion, we, as a nation, once again pledge to follow the golden principles of Unity, Faith and Discipline as advised by our beloved Quaid-e-Azam to make Pakistan an ideal Islamic welfare state where the Islamic principles of equality, freedom, justice and democracy are to be upheld,” he added.
To mark the day, various programs have also been planned by educational institutions and political, social and cultural organizations to shed light on the personality and leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Quran Khwani and Fateha Khwani will be held at the Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi. Government representatives from different walks of life would visit the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam in Karachi to lay wreath and to offer Fateha.
