Nation celebrates diamond jubilee of independence

PM stresses united effort for economic prosperity

ISLAMABAD:

The Nation celebrated the diamond jubilee of the creation of Pakistan – the 75th Independence Day – on Sunday with utmost national fervour, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling for joint effort to make the country an economic powerhouse.

Several rallies, seminars, declamation contests were the hallmark of the day. National flags, buntings, portraits of founding fathers, posters and banners were also seen everywhere up and down the country as part of the Independence Day celebrations.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) unveiled a commemorative Rs75 legal tender, while the Information Ministry, in collaboration with the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), released the newly recorded National Anthem to mark the festivities.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals. In mosques, prayers were offered for the security and progress of Pakistan and well-being of the people. National flag was hoisted atop all important public and private buildings.

Pakistan #IndependenceDay dawned with 31 gun salute in the Federal Capital and 21 gun salute in the provincial headquarters.#APPNews #PakistanZindabaad #PakistanAt75 #75YearsofIndependence #75thindependenceday #AzaadiMubarak #جشن_آزادی__مبارک pic.twitter.com/wzwEzPqZVe

— APP 🇵🇰 #PakistanAt75🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) August 14, 2022

Flag-hoisting ceremonies were also held across the country. The main event was held in Islamabad, where Prime Minister Sharif hoisted the national flag. Similar ceremonies were also held in all the provincial capitals, as well as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.

Flag Hoisting Ceremony at @PakinAustralia to celebrate #PakistanIndependenceDay #APP@ForeignOfficePk @Zhchaudhri
#PakistanAt75 #75perkuchkhaas pic.twitter.com/kLchBmNfTs

— APP 🇵🇰 #PakistanAt75🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) August 14, 2022

The change of guard ceremony was held at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi, where cadets of the Pakistan Naval Academy assumed the guards duty. The national media highlighted the services of the Pakistan Movement heroes in making Pakistan a reality.

The Kashmiris along both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and elsewhere marked the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan with great zeal and fervour. The Kashmiri leadership congratulated the people of Pakistan on this auspicious occasion.

At the main flag-hoisting ceremony at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to transform Pakistan into an economic powerhouse, saying that those spreading pessimism about the country’s future would be defeated.

LIVE #APPNews : Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing Independence day flag-hoisting ceremony #Islamabad @CMShehbaz @PakPMO #PakistanAt75 #14august2022 #PakistanZindabad #IndependenceDay https://t.co/tQslaIb6Bh

— APP 🇵🇰 #PakistanAt75🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) August 14, 2022

At the outset of his address, the prime minister, in particular, remembered the flood victims, making special mention of those from Balochistan. He repeated his call for holding the national dialogue and forging consensus among all stakeholders on a ‘charter of economy’.

Shehbaz said that when Allama Iqbal dreamt about a separate motherland, a sense of pessimism was created, with the naysayers claiming that a separate homeland for the Muslims was not feasible. However, he added, the country’s founding fathers smashed that pessimism.

“We salute the founding fathers of Pakistan who smashed such sense of pessimism and due to their historic struggle, we are now breathing in an independent and sovereign country,” he said. “Those who spread pessimism (now) will once again be defeated. We will progress towards development and prosperity.”

He vowed to transform Pakistan into an economic power. “If we can become a nuclear power, we can also become an economic power but for it we have to strive day and night and prove to the world that we are no less than anyone in the world,” the prime minister said.

The prime minister was of the view that a “national dialogue is the need of the hour, whereby consensus may be built” on a ‘charter of economy’ by all stakeholders. “Like our founders, we have to commit to becoming an economic power,” he said.

“The Pakistan Movement is a lesson for everyone, which tells us that when a nation charts its course, even mountain-like hurdles and ocean-like distances cannot deter them from achieving their goal,” the prime minister added.

He paid rich tributes to all those who had laid down their lives in the Independence Movement. The creation of Pakistan, he said, was a sacred trust and a mission. “The mission is to give practical shape to those ideals which were reflected in the March 23 Resolution,” he added.

At the National Assembly, the Diamond Jubilee Convention of Parliamentarians, chaired by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, passed a unanimous resolution, expressing resolve to strive together to make Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of a federal, parliamentary, democratic and prosperous Pakistan a substantive reality.

Rs75 note

The SBP unveiled the design of the special Rs75note on Twitter in honour of the country's 75th Independence Day. Signed by former SBP governor Dr Raza Baqir, the note would be issued to the public from September 30.

The banknote is printed in green and white colours with portraits of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah along with Fatima Jinnah, Allama Iqbal and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan on the obverse side. The images signify the struggles of Pakistan’s founding members for the country’s independence.

The other side of the note features a picture of Deodar trees and Pakistan’s national animal, a markhor. This image, designed by Sara Khan, symbolises Pakistan's priority of environmental protection. The note was approved by the government in accordance with the SBP Act 1956.

The colour scheme, portraits and images along with the public service message were conceived by the internal banknote committee at the SBP and integrated into a final note design by the banknote designers at De La Rue, United Kingdom.

The note is equipped with all the security features. These include the Urdu numeral '75' which appears complete when the note is held in the light, PureImage security thread with pulsing holographic rainbow effect and micro-lettering of 'SBP' and '75', among others.

Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz congratulated the nation on the 75th Independence Day in their separate messages. They said that this day reminded “us of the innumerable sacrifices rendered by our founding fathers” under the dynamic leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam.

Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar extended felicitations on behalf of the Armed Forces of Pakistan on the diamond jubilee celebrations of Independence Day.