ISLAMABAD: The nation celebrated the 146th birthday anniversary of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, on Sunday across the country, showing great zeal and enthusiasm.

The day dawned with special prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country while the national flag was hoisted on all major government buildings in the country.

Public and private departments arranged a variety of events, including seminars, conferences, competitions, and discussion programmes, mostly during the last week to pay rich tribute to the Father of the Nation for his untiring struggle, sagacity, and leadership that led to the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.

Special events were arranged to highlight and promote the vision and messages of the Quaid-i-Azam, particularly with regard to the rule of law, the supremacy of the Constitution and upholding of democracy.

PAF releases special song to mark the occasion

A special ceremony was arranged by the Pakistan Academy of Letters on Dec 22 (Thursday) to mark the 146th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam.

The ceremony was presided over by Dr Ehsan Akbar while Haroon-ur-Rasheed Tabassum, Yusuf Aziz, Jabbar Mirza and Dr Fakhar-ur-Islam were the special guests on the occasion.

A series of programmes were arranged by the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) on Dec 25 (Sunday) at the Pakistan National Heritage Museum which included an opening ceremony featuring vibrant performances at the Heritage Museum Hall, Lok Virsa, and screening of video documentaries on Quaid-i-Azam at the Pakistan National Monument Museum.

The essay writing competition was arranged by the Nazariya Pakistan Council in connection with the Youm-i-Quaid celebrations in which students of different educational institutions participated and exhibited their extraordinary oratorical skills.

President, PM pay tribute

Paying tribute to the Father of the Nation, President Arif Alvi urged the nation to reiterate its commitment to cherish and uphold the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam for Pakistan and mobilise resources to tackle the grave issues to move on the path of political stability and economic prosperity.

In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the nation to take guidance from the life of the Quaid-i-Azam and follow his principles to ensure the progress and prosperity of the country.

PAF special song

To mark the occasion, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Sunday released a special song to pay tribute to the Quaid-i-Azam. The video of patriotic song features a message of the Founder of the Nation about the importance of air force. “A country without a strong air force is at the mercy of any aggressor. Pakistan must build up its own air force as quickly as possible. It must be an efficient air force, second to none,” the Quaid’s message said.

Earlier in the day, a spectacular change of guard ceremony was held at the Mazar-i-Quaid where Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, assumed the ceremonial guard duty from Pakistan Air Force cadet guards. Major General Umar Aziz was the chief guest on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2022