Officers of the Pakistan embassy read out messages of President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In his message, the president praised the resilience of Pakistan as a nation that had achieved tremendous successes in various fields. He made a note of how the country fought a long drawn out war against terrorism and defeating the menace. He felt the nuclear deterrence was a great achievement that made the country’s defence impregnable.
More recently, President Alvi expressed his satisfaction at the laurels Pakistan had won globally for handling the Covid-19 pandemic for which he credited the doctors and paramedics, media, National Command and Operation Centre, security forces and the entire nation.
Whilst congratulating the nation on the Independence Day, Prime Minister Imran Khan exhorted his compatriots to resolve to uphold national values of unity, faith and discipline envisioned by the Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
“Pakistan today, can stand tall among the comity of nations. Our policies towards reviving the economy, handling the pandemic and protecting the environment have received universal acclaim,” he pointed out.
Emphasising his government’s policy, the prime minister said: “We want peace within and without, to pursue our socio-economic agenda. The Naya (new) Pakistan has shifted its focus from geo-politics to geo-economics, with the wellbeing and welfare of our people as the topmost priority.
He also underlined that 14th August inspired all Pakistanis “to serve the country with greater dedication in order to carry the national flag, which symbolises the nation’s hopes and aspirations, even higher”.
Hailing the 170,000-strong Pakistani community in Qatar as a “living bridge” between the two countries, Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza exhorted them to present the true image of Pakistan in their practices and dealings by following the ideals of the Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and National Poet Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
He felt the community had it in them to continue to contribute to the development and progress of both countries majorly. He assured them of the embassy’s complete support to help achieve the desired objective within the framework of resources available at its disposal.
The ambassador also expressed his gratitude to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and the Qatari leadership for hosting the Pakistani community with excellent employment opportunities and living conditions. He felt that His Highness the Amir had great affection for Pakistan and Pakistanis and that the leadership in the two countries were committed to boosting the existing fraternal ties.
In this context, he recalled the fruitful visit of the Amir to Pakistan in 2019 and Prime Minister Khan’s visits to Qatar the same year and in 2020.
The celebration concluded with a cake cutting in the colours and contours of the green-and-white national flag in the presence of children mostly attired in similar colours, with prayers offered for the solidarity, progress and prosperity of Pakistan.