Mushahid pays tribute to Fidel Castro

Senator Mushahid Hussain was invited as the chief guest to the Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro's birth centenary celebration hosted by the Embassy of Cuba in Islamabad.

At the event, Hussain inaugurated the photographic exhibition of Fidel Castro's historic photographs which included pictures taken of his meetings with world leaders such as President Pervez Musharraf, Nelson Mandela and the Pope. Photos of his armed struggle for Cuba's liberation, of him making speeches, including those of him delivering his famous historic speech, the longest ever-at 4 hours and 29 minutes-made in the United Nations General Assembly, were also displayed at the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Mushahid referred to his visit to Cuba as a part of Pakistan's Parliamentary delegation and paid tribute to Comandante Fidel Castro, calling him 'a symbol of defiance, a symbol of dignity, a symbol of sovereignty and a symbol of solidarity amongst third world countries'.

He said, 'Cuba under Comandante Fidel Castro demonstrated that size does not equal strength because the small island nation of 9 million is located only 90 miles from the United States of America, but it still withstood attempts to destabilise the Revolution starting with the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion launched by the CIA'.

Senator Mushahid Hussain also praised Cuba's excellent healthcare system, terming it as 'a role model for the Global South'.