Reiterating resolve to transform Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state,  the nation celebrated on Tuesday the 136th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

A number of programmes had been organised all over the country to highlight the great leader’s principles of unity‚ faith and discipline. In Lahore, a special ceremony was held at Aiwan-e-Karkunan Tehrik-e-Pakistan under the aegis of Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust (NPT) and Pakistan Movement Workers’ Trust (PMWT). TheNation Editor-in-Chief and NPT Chairman Majid Nizami presided over the event.

PMWT Chairman Colonel (r) Jamshed Ahmed Tareen, Colonel (r) Amjad Hussain Syed, Prof Dr Rafique Ahmed, Senator Sartaj Aziz, Begum Surayya Khursheed, Dr Mariam Karam Ilahi, Jamil Ather, Major Gen (r) Rahit Latif, Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali, Waleed Iqbal Advocate, Ajmal Niazi, Begum Mehnaz Raif and other addressed the function. A good number of people from different walks of life attended the ceremony and cut the cake with Majid Nizami and Pakistan movement workers.  Majid Nizami congratulated the gathering for attending the Quaid’s birth celebration and informed them that during his student life he had an honour of listening the Quaid’s speech on many occasions.

“Some people have been deeming Quaid-i-Azam a secular person, though I have repeatedly rubbished this perception,” he stressed, saying that Jinnah had told the Hindus thatthe  Holy Quran would be the Constitution of Pakistan. “Freedom is the great gift and we have been enjoying it due to the Quaid’s struggle,” said the veteran editor. He termed Kashmir the jugular vein and said the nation should always remember Kashmir.

Majid Nizami reiterated his commitment that he would never visit the neighbouring country until the independence of Indian occupied Kashmir. The youth must be informed about Indian atrocities in Kashmir, he stressed. Expressing regret over the prevailing situation in Karachi, Majid Nizami said that life and property of the people were not secured in the port city, he added. About Tahirul Qadri’s move, he said Qadri’s philosophy was not understandable and that he did not know what actually the Minhaj leader wanted.

“People choose their representative through political process. State and politics are not two different things,” he said and asked Qadri to take part in election to weigh his actual worth. “I observed Qadri track record up to Sheikhul Islam,” he held. Majid Nizami criticised the government for its failure to deliver, saying the government only gifted people with inflation, unemployment and other issues. Jamshed Tareen said that young generation should be aware of the vision of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam.

Amjad Hussain paid tribute to Majid Nizami and his elder brother Hameed Nizami for their services for the country. He also appreciated the NPT’s efforts for creating awareness about Pakistan Movement among the youth. Dr Rafique emphasised on the solution of Kashmir issue and asked for strengthening relation with Bangladesh. He also stressed on the people for choosing the right people through vote in coming election.

Sartaj Aziz asked to follow the vision of the Quaid for making the country strong. He said the personality of the Quaid was charismatic. Naeem Hussain Chattah, Justice (rtd) Munir Ahmed, Allama Ahmed Ali Kasuri, Dr MA Soofi, Colonel (rtd) Ikram Ullah, MA Anwar, Colonel (rtd) Salim Malik, Prof Parveen Khan, Rana Arshad, ZI Farrukh, Maulana Raghid Naeemi, Shafi Josh , Khurished Ahmed, Shahid Rasheed also addressed.

In another sitting held at Tech Club, Justice (rtd) Sharif Hussain Bokhari said that Quaid-e-Azam wanted Pakistan as an Islamic democratic welfare state in which rule of law was observed. Prof.Dr. Khwaja Amjad Saeed said that another Pakistan will emerge from within India. Sajid Mir said Jinnah’s Pakistan was neither secular nor Mullah based. Speakers also expressed that Patel – the Hindu politician who claimed that Pakistan could not survive for more than six months, but it sustained due to migration of best brain from India to Pakistan and then Pakistan would stand forever.

Quaid also told that no country can develop without satisfying the needs of public at large. Pakistan is rich in natural resources but speed of development in this sector is very slow as compared to other countries of the world. Quaid-e-Azam in his address to students that they should focus on their study, respect of the parents, elders, teachers and development of their country to achieve their real objectives of education. Quaid-e-Azam was neither supporter of socialist nor secular system but Islamic economic system. Speakers also emphasized that minorities and majorities all should respect the constitution of Pakistan because in case of bilateral disputes law of the land decides the fate. We are shameful in front of Quaid-e-Azam because poor people of Pakistan are committing suicides due to poverty elevation and mafia driven political system, speakers expressed.