Security of ideological foundations stressed

There is a need for changing the mindset of the people about the true spirit of independence and inculcating an urge to safeguard physical and ideological foundations of the country.

This was stressed by speakers during a seminar on “National Defence Day: Rejuvenation of Ideological Foundations of Pakistan” in connection with Defence Day on Monday. The seminar had been organised by the National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Centre of Excellence, at the Quaid-i-Azam University. Former defence minister Lt Gen (retired) Naeem Lodhi regretted that the nation lacked national cohesion and integration.

An able leadership, he said, can steer the country out of every crisis. Moreover, on the defence of the motherland, he remarked that wars are fought by the people and not by the armies.

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Former defence secretary Lt Gen (retired) Asif Malik, noted that successive governments have not accurately identified threats. Before the Partition, he said there was a Hindu threat in general and of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi on the philosophical front. These threats, he contended, continue to linger on even after independence.

“Ironically, with the passage of time, we have been guarding our physical borders more than the ideological foundations. Exploitation is directly proportional to weaknesses: the more vulnerable, the more exploitation. Unfortunately, we as a nation, continue to falter after 1947,” Malik commented.

Prof Dr Zafar Jaspal, of the QAU School of Politics and International Relations, believed that the armed forces have successfully defended the territorial borders of the country during the 1965 war.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2020.