Nation to observe Defence and Martyrs Day tomorrow

Day will dawn with 31-gun salute in federal capital, 21-gun salute in provincial capitals

ISLAMABAD: The nation will observe the Defence and Martyr Day on Friday with enthusiasm and devotion besides the renewal of the pledge to render all sacrifices to safeguard the geographical and ideological frontiers of the motherland.

The day will dawn with 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals. The main event of the day will be held at the General Headquarters, which will be attended by serving and veteran miltiary officers and the families of the martyrs.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa will visit the Martyrs monument. The military spokesman and announced that several dignitaries and celebrities will visit the families of the martyrs.
This year, the day will be marked as the Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Muzaffarabad to spend the day with the families of Kashmiri martyrs. The prime minister has directed the provinces to hold special events to expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren.

In his message on the eve of the Defence Day, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Pakistani nation is fully alive to any kind of misadventure by the enemy and was prepared to give the enemy the fullest possible response.

“I have informed the world that Pakistan does not want war, but at the same time, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to the challenges posed to its security and integrity. We are prepared to give the enemy the fullest possible response,” he said.

“The armed forces, the Pakistani nation, the political leadership, both the houses of parliament, the mainstream and social media are all in one voice against India’s illegal, unilateral, reckless and coercive attempt to alter the disputed status of Indian-Occupied Kashmir.”

In the 1965 war, the prime minister said, the valour of “our armed forces and the spirit of the people presented a true picture of oneness and coordination, discipline and perseverance”, adding: “Both the people and the men in uniform proved that it’s not the size that matters but what matters the most is the courage and devotion to duty.