Poland marks the 100th anniversary of regaining independence

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the state of Poland since it regained independence after 123 years of partitions of German, Austrian and Russian empires. On 11 November 1918, the dream of generations of Poles came true: the Polish state was reborn.

For the Polish, it is a time to celebrate their freedom and commemorate the people and events that shaped it. The stability of Polish democracy, one of the oldest in the world, derives from Polish democratic, libertarian and parliamentary traditions that dates back to the fifteenth century and the Jagiellonian dynasty. However, after experiencing numerous wars and a crisis in the political system, the country was invaded and partitioned at the end of 18th century, disappearing from the map of Europe for 123 years.

Never abandoning the idea of regaining independence, Poles engaged in an armed resistance and kept fighting to free the country. Despite a ban on the Polish language, the nation preserved its identity and continued to exist as a spiritual and cultural community. Poland, though, had to wait until the end of World War I for the opportunity to free itself.

It was then, on 11 November 1918, that Józef Pilsudski, leader of the clandestine Polish Military Organisation, returned to Warsaw from a German prison to become the Chief of State, proclaiming the Second Polish Republic after the destruction of the neighbouring powers.

Independence of Poland brought with it a period of dynamic economic growth, educational reform, military development and unification of different systems of governance. Poland successfully defended its borders, claiming a historic victory over Soviet Russian in the Battle of Warsaw, which was decisive in halting the spread of communist revolution to the West. Unfortunately, these two decades of freedom ended with World War II, of which Poland became the first victim.

After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Poland once again became a democratic republic. Far-reaching reforms were introduced without delay, replacing the one-party system with political pluralism and the state-controlled economy with a free market. Dependency on the East was followed by an opening-up to the West.

Poland has always stood as a good friend of Pakistan ever since Pakistan got its independence. The services of Polish officers and airmen cant be ignored who trained Pakistan Air Force, during its nascent years. A few of these officers even made Pakistan their home and laid their lives for the country.

One of the great Polish soldiers who served Pakistan was Air Commodore Wladyslaw Józef Marian Turowicz. He not only was a good trainer but a good administrator and later on raised and headed the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission Pakistan (SUPARCO).

As far as economic activities are concerned, relations between Poland and Pakistan have been deep rooted and historical. Both countries have much more to offer to each other in terms of economic cooperation which is of fundamental importance in the international relations overall.

Moreover, Piotr Opalinski, Ambassador of Republic of Poland in Pakistan, also expressed his views on Poland and Pakistan relations by stating, “Since many years Poland was present in the oil and gas sector in Pakistan. Polish Oil & Gas Company Group (PGNiG) has celebrated its 20th anniversary of operations in Pakistan, recently.” He further added, “We would like to continue this successful cooperation in the area of searching and exploring natural resources, but we would also like to enhance bilateral trade exchange in other fields, such as defence industry, mining, food processing and green energy, including solar and hydropower plants.

We are also hosting political delegations of increasing level, which will constitute a good ground for positive shift in our relations.”This year Pakistan Minister for Defence, Khurram Dastgir Khan, and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, even signed an agreement between the two countries on cooperation in the field of defence in Warsaw. The two sides hailed the agreement as an important step in consolidating and institutionalising defence relations between the two countries.

Both the countries and people share common values and respect for tradition. It is believed that this friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Pakistan and Poland will eventually grow in the years to come to benefit both countries and the people.