LAHORE, Dec 25: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif says Pakistan’s defence is very strong and invulnerable and no power on the earth can succeed in its evil designs against it.

He was speaking at a meeting held to observe the 133rd birthday of the Quaid-i-Azam under the auspices of the Pakistan Movement Workers Trust and Nazaria-i-Pakistan Foundation at the Ghulam Haider Wyne Auditorium here on Thursday.

The chief minister said while the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal founded Pakistan helped by the dedicated leaders and the workers of the Muslim League, the people worked hard to make their country strong and invulnerable, particularly after its scientists made it a nuclear power.

He said the process of making Pakistan a nuclear power, which had been initiated by the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and helped by the successive governments was culminated with the nuclear tests carried out by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998 making Pakistan the first atomic power of the Muslim world.

It was Pakistan’s nuclear capability that India could not dare to attack Pakistan in 2002 when it had deployed troops along its borders and even now could never dare to attack it though it had been hurling all sorts of threats since the Mumbai attacks last month.

Mr Shahbaz said the Mumbai attacks were condemnable and all sections of people of Pakistan and politicians had condemned them. Pakistan had already offered to India for cooperation in investigating the attacks. India had not provided any solid evidence, but its leaders and media were busy making all sorts of accusations against Pakistan.

The chief minister said Pakistan was itself a victim of terrorism and “we have evidence of India’s involvement in the acts of terrorism in Balochistan and tribal areas of Pakistan.”

He said that an Indian army colonel had been founded in carrying out bomb blast in Samjhauta Express while it was on its way from Delhi to Lahore early this year. Similarly, there were many other instances of involvement of Indian elements in acts of terrorism in Pakistan.

He said that while Pakistan had become a nuclear power and was capable of defending its borders it was facing an economic crisis and the government was begging for financial help from international donors and various countries, which was against its honour and dignity.

In his welcome address, Pakistan Movement Workers Trust chairman Dr Javid Iqbal said that the Quaid’s vision of making Pakistan an Islamic, democratic welfare state had not been realised by the nation and every ruler had been violating his principles.

He said that making Pakistan an Islamic state meant that the people’s problems should be solved in the light of the Islamic principles. The welfare state was meant to provide the people with the social security, enough food and fibre at reasonable prices and necessary facilities for their healthcare and education.

A democratic state provides the people their right to elect their representatives independently. “If we can evolve our state affairs on these lines we can boast to revive the system of governance introduced by the pious Caliphs (Khulafa-i-Raashideen) of Islam.

He said the two-nation theory was the very basis of Pakistan which must be strictly upheld by the nation for its own survival.

The theory, he said, demanded elimination of all kind of regional, parochial and sectarian prejudices and development of the spirit of tolerance and brotherhood.

He said that India’s recent expression of sentiments of aggression against our country called for strengthening the basis of the ideology of Pakistan to silence the Indian outbursts against Pakistan.

It is heartening that the whole nation is united against these Indian threats and the need of the hour is to strengthen this unity and solidarity of the nation.

Dr Iqbal said the PMWT had so far awarded 950 gold medals to workers of the Pakistan Movement and disbursed a sum of Rs8.6 million as financial aid to them. He said that 671 gold medalists were from Punjab, 116 from the NWFP, 104 from Sindh, 16 from Balochistan and 32 from Bangladesh.

Foundation chairman Majid Nizami said that the Quaid-i-Azam’s main purpose of establishing Pakistan was to solve the economic problems of the Muslims of the subcontinent.

He said it was heartening to note that the Punjab government was taking measures to ameliorate the social conditions of the common man, particularly in the education and health sectors. Foundation secretary Dr Rafiq Ahmad and Shahid Rashid also addressed.

The chief minister gave 47 gold medals to the living workers of the Pakistan movement and the posthumous awards to their relatives. They include 29 from four provinces of Pakistan and 18 from Bangladesh.