KARACHI: The Defence Day of Pakistan was celebrated on Wedn­esday to pay tribute to and comme­morate the supr­e­me sacrifices of the heroes of the armed forces, who stood strong against the enemy with an unparalleled display of unity and tenacity during the 1965 war when India launched a surprise attack on Pakistan through the Punjab to itself get a shock.

Flag-hoisting ceremonies were held at all units and establishments of the army, navy and air force, wherein the commanding officers addressed special gatherings of the officers and men and highlighted the significance of the day.

The Pakistan Navy celebrated the day with reverence and effervescent spirit. In his message on the occasion, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Amjad Khan Niazi, paid homage to the martyrs and ghazis who repulsed blatant aggression from the enemy and foiled its nefarious designs with the support of the people.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute at the federal capital of Islamabad and a 21-gun salute at all the provincial capitals, including Karachi.

“The day displays the spirit of unity and sacrifice in the defence of our motherland and glorifies the indomitable bond of our nation and the armed forces to stand together in the face of adversity and belligerence,” said the Admiral in his message.

All ships and establishments were also decorated and illuminated in accordance with naval traditions. Other activities of the day included various sports events in Pakistan Navy units.

PAF cadets assume duty at Quaid’s mausoleum

A special ceremony was also held at the mausoleum of the Quaid-i-Azam Moha­mmad Ali Jinnah, with smartly-turned cade­ts of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) assuming their duties there. As many as 57 cadets, including seven women, participated in the change of guard ceremony.

Air Officer Comma­nding PAF Academy, Air Vice Marshal Ghazanfar Latif, was the chief guest at the change of command ceremony. He also laid a floral wreath at the mausoleum, offered fateha, and penned his comments in the guest book.

Addressing the gathering, Air Vice Marshal ute to the combined victory of the armed forces of Pakistan on September 6, 1965. “We will always continue defending our boundaries as a protective shield against our enemies,” he said.

He said that the sacrifices made by the Pakistani armed forces for the defence of the country in 1965 would not go in vain.

In Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, rallies were staged, processions taken out and special progammes were held at schools to mark the 53rd Defense Day and pay homage to soldiers who laid down their lives for the defense of the nation.

Larkana police took out a rally which emerged from SSP office in the lead of DIG and SSP. The participants in all the rallies converged on Larkana Press Club where speakers paid rich tributes to the martyrs and reiterated their resolve to lay down their very lives for the country whenever their homeland needed their blood. A blood donation camp was also set up in Chandka Medical College children’s hospital where jawans donated blood.

The wing commander of Shahbaz Rangers, Colonel Asim, and others visited the grave of Shaheed Major Mujahid Mirani in Naudero placed wreath on the grave and offered fateha. Major Mirani had laid down his life while defending the country at Slala check-post.

School children of Major Mujhaid Memorial Primary School also placed wreath on the grave and offered dua.

A programme was held at Chandka Medical College where faculty members and Larkana SSP hoisted national flag to mark the day.

Haji Munawwar Ali Abbasi, convener of Larkana Awami Ittehad (LAI) and Pakistan Peoples Party-Workers observed the day by taking out a procession from Waleed town. They marched on main roads of the city before assembling outside local press club.

Sunni Tehreek also staged a procession in the town.

In Mirpurkhas, different NGOs including Tanzeem Shuhada Afwaj-i-Pakistan led by retired Major Masroor Baig paid rich tribute to martyrs of Pakistan Army at Shuhada graveyard in Satellite town where schoolchildren, police and officers as well as citizens offered fateha and laid wreaths on the graves. A guard of honour was also presented to the martyrs on behalf of police.

Schools held various programmes to mark the day in which students and teachers paid homage to martyrs.

In Digri town, Sunni Rabita Council organised a seminar. Similar programmes were held in schools in Mirwah Gorchani, Jhuddo, Naokot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Khaan, Jhilori and Sindhri.

The speakers at schools’ programmes paid homage to soldiers who guarded the country’s borders at night away from their homes while the nation slept with a sense of security.

They said that no amount of praise, medals, awards in cash or kind could compensate for the supreme

sacrifices of the soldiers and officers who laid down their while defending the sacred boundaries of the fatherland.

The child speakers expressed their resolve to follow in the footsteps of the soldiers and devote their talents and energeis for the prosperity and prestige of the nation.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2023