Around 175 million Pakistanis celebrate their country’s independence day with thankfulness to Almighty Allah for giving them this homeland after immense sacrifices.
The emergence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, now the sixth most populous nation in the world, was a tremendous achievement of the Muslims of British-ruled India. It was made possible by the dedicated leadership of the head of the Muslim League, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The Muslims wanted a country in which they could live their lives in accordance with their religious and cultural traditions and prosper economically which otherwise would not have been possible under the majority Hindu community when the British left.
To be able to wrest this independence from the implacable hostility of the majority community’s political leadership and the ambivalent British colonialists, who leaned toward the majority community and unfairly demarcated the boundaries of the two countries depriving full access to Jammu and Kashmir, was a task only accomplished by the iron will of Jinnah, backed by the entire Muslim community.
In the struggle for independence, Jinnah sent Muslim League emissaries all over the world, particularly to Muslim countries and where Muslim communities in other countries resided.
They carried with them the message that Muslims everywhere should support the emergence of this new country with its rich Islamic heritage and traditional ties.
On becoming independent, and even before that, Pakistan and its people would fully support all Muslim countries, support their struggles for independence and their causes and strive with them so that Muslim countries would develop their due weight and influence in the new world order taking shape after the World War II.
This is the compact that Pakistan and its people have kept faith with since their independence in 1947. Immediately after the UN was founded, Pakistan spearheaded the debate against the division of Palestine. Till now Pakistan has not recognized Israel and fully supports the right of the oppressed and occupied Palestinians for their own homeland. Arab News
