KARACHI: The nation is celebrating the 145th birth anniversary of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, on Saturday with traditional zeal and fervour.
The day dawned with special prayers for the security, progress and prosperity of the country, while a change of guards ceremony also took place at the Mazar-i-Quaid in Karachi.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born on Dec 25, 1876, in Karachi. Mr Jinnah was a lawyer by profession and a politician. He served as the leader of All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan’s independence on Aug 14, 1947, and then as Pakistan’s first governor-general until his death on Sept 11, 1948.
Various activities will be held in government and private organisations to shed light on Quaid’s lifelong political struggle and his guiding principles of unity, faith, and discipline.
To mark the day, the Pakistan National Council of the Arts will organise various cultural events. A painting exhibition, tableau and speech competition will also be organised with the aim of educating the youth about Quaid’s vision and his ideology of Pakistan.
“Quaid’s vision of a progressive and tolerant Pakistan”
In their separate messages to the nation on the occasion, the top political leaders urged the people to follow in the footsteps of the Quaid in all walks of life and hold on to “courage and hope” while coping with the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.
In his message, Prime Minister Imran Khan emphasized upon youth to adopt Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s attributes of honesty, hard work, perseverance and dedication.
“We as a nation need to adopt these attributes to realize Quaid’s vision of a developed, progressive and tolerant Pakistan,” he said. “It was a matter of privilege for our generation and our children to born in an independent Pakistan that could not have been our destiny without the struggle of Quaid-e-Azam”, he added.
He said Muhammad Ali Jinnah realized the importance of a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent where all citizens could enjoy freedom of faith, occupation and equal opportunities. “Quaid’s determination to unify a nation despite huge challenges and opposition was only possible due to his perseverance”, he added.
“As per Quaid’s vision, our government is striving for a society free of corruption and a system that helps the poor and underprivileged citizens,” the premier concluded.
Bilawal vows to follow Quaid’s vision
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has paid glowing tributes to Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 145th birthday.
“Attempts were made by the dictatorial forces and their cronies to dent the ideology of the Founder of the Nation and drift the country from his vision but the democratic forces led by PPP have always foiled their designs,” he added.
He said that it was only Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who accomplished the dream of Quaid-e-Azam by gifting the first-ever unanimous 1973 Constitution to the nation, founded strong economic base in the country and a stronger defence by launching nuclear programme.
He pledged that people of Pakistan and the PPP would follow the vision and mission of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah as his Party is the true torch-bearer of the ideology of Pakistan.
