Martyrs, Ghazis paid tributes

LAHORE:Former Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice (retd) Qasim Ali Khan has said that he salutes the martyrs and Ghazis of the armed forces and the people who collectively made the defence of Pakistan invincible on September 6, 1965.

According to a press release he was addressing a seminar organised by Punjab University College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) on Pakistan Defence Day. Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Sajid Habib, former minister Tahir Ali Javed, CEES Principal Prof Dr Sajid Rashid, faculty members and students were present. In his address, Qasim Ali Khan said that despite the political differences in 1965, the whole nation was united and fully supported the armed forces in the war.

Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Sajid Habib said Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force made the defence of the country impregnable. He said that before September 6, clashes were going on, on the border of Kashmir, while on September 6, India attacked the international border.

Addressing the students, Dr Sajid Rashid Ahmed said that they could contribute to safeguard Pakistan by obtaining higher education. He said that the development of the country depended upon the youth. He said that the youth should come forward and play its role in the development of the country.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid in her message on Defence Day has said that today we pay tribute to the great martyrs of the Pakistan Army. It is a day to remember them. Martyrs of Pakistan Army have written the history of this country with their pure blood. She also said every young man of Pakistan Army has the spirit of sacrifice for the sake of the beloved country.

UMT president Ibrahim Hasan Murad has said that we need today the same unity and spirit that was exhibited by our nation to safeguard the motherland during the 1965 war. He added that the spirit of collective responsibility shown by the Pakistani nation during the war of 1965 was once again needed to cope with the humanitarian crisis in the wake of devastating floods.

Meanwhile, Defence Day was observed in the provincial metropolis with traditional zeal and zest. The main ceremony was held at the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal, which was organised by Pakistan Rangers, Punjab.

Director General Rangers laid floral wreath on the tomb of the national poet and offered special prayers for the stability of Pakistan. Another ceremony was held at Town Hall where officers of the City administration took part. Commissioner Lahore, DC Lahore and other senior officials also attended the ceremony.

In another ceremony, Minister Housing Mian Aslam Iqbal said that September 6 has a special significance in the glorious history of Pakistan. The senior minister said that the Armed forces of Pakistan and the nation were taking the lead in helping the flood-affected brothers and sisters.

Workers observed Defence Day under All Pakistan Workers Confederation. They held a meeting at Bakhtiar Labour Hall, which was addressed by Khurshid Ahmad, General Secretary of the confederation, who urged all the political parties and patriotic forces to adopt a policy of self-reliance to tackle rising poverty and ignorance and aggravating unemployment and irrational gap between the rich and the poor.