March 23, 1940 was the historic day when the founding fathers of the nation adopted a consensus declaration — the “Lahore Resolution” — that laid the foundation stone for the creation of Pakistan in later years. This resolution gave hope to the Muslims of British India for a separate homeland where they would have the freedom to live their lives as per their social, cultural and religious norms. The visionary leaders of the Pakistan movement were able to visualize the necessity of the creation of a separate homeland to safeguard the rights of millions of Muslims against excesses of an oppressive majority.
Since the inception of Pakistan, our leadership has consistently strived to realize the goals of peace, progress and freedom of our people. We are proud to be a developed and responsible state in the comity of nations. Today, Pakistan is a progressive democratic state with an independent judiciary, free media, vibrant civil society and resilient economy. The success story of Pakistan was propelled by industrious people, the availability of abundant natural resources and policies of successive governments.
On this auspicious occasion, I would like to congratulate the people of Pakistan for their belief in the vision of the founding fathers and transforming it into reality. However, at the same time, we should remember our Kashmiri brothers and sisters who are struggling for their right to self-determination as enunciated in UN resolutions. The violation of the human rights of the Kashmiris as reported by human rights bodies of UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Amnesty International and other independent entities is alarming and condemnable. The people of Pakistan pledge to continue their moral, diplomatic and political support for Kashmiris’ struggle until the realization of their right to self-determination.
I am happy that we are celebrating our national day in our second home: Saudi Arabia. There have been a number of high-level bilateral visits which have further cemented the bonds of friendship. We are grateful to the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for taking a personal interest in expanding the scope of relations between the two countries. Pakistani professionals have played a fundamental role in infrastructure development and institution-building in the Kingdom. I am hopeful that the Pakistani community will continue to contribute in the development of the Kingdom and Saudi Vision 2030.
On this day, we renew our pledge to contribute toward the progress and development of our great nation. On the same note, I would like to share my determination to further expand and enrich the canvas of bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia. Long live the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia friendship.
Raja Ali Ejaz
Ambassador of Pakistan
