Dr. Saeed Ahmad Ali
LAHORE, Mar 24 (APP):Martyrdom is a part of our religious passion and folklore tradition of the Pakistani nation. This was stated by experts on Sunday.
The security forces of Pakistan always remained affirmed to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace and stability of the country, and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve, they opined.
The concept is captured beautifully in the master piece poetic verses of Iqbal, given as ‘Shahadat Hai Matloob O Maqsood e Momin, Na Maal e Ghanimat Na Kishwar Kushai. (Martyrdom is the ultimate desire of a Muslim, Neither the war booty nor the riches of kings).
This embodies the concept of martyrdom and sacrificial panache for Muslim warriors adopted as a credo by Pakistan’s armed forces in their endeavor to ward off threats to national survival, they said.
The defence of Pakistan is safeguarded by its venerable armed forces, which monitor and watch the ideological frontiers of the motherland also, every moment.
At the time of need, these valiant armed forces had combated and defeated the cowardly enemy including the scourge of terrorism in a befitting manner.
The brave armed forces had a wide range of experience to deal with any aggression or the menace of terrorism and the entire world could learn from Pakistan how to cope with the enemy or menace of terrorism.
Security forces of Pakistan always remained determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve. Moreover, the perpetrators of cowardly attacks would never be spared and brought to Justice.
However, the nation, standing with its forces, had always displayed unanimous spirit in facing the coward enemy on the borders of mother land, including Indian troops boldly, and defeated them on all fronts.
In fact, there had been rare examples of such extreme valour and courage in the global military history which the Pakistani nation and its soldiers had showcased on various occasion specially in 1965 war.
It was 1965 when, swayed by its military power and abhorrence for a peaceful neighbour, Indian guns roared and its fighter aircraft took on sorties amidst advancement by the army troops, who wanted to capture Pakistan’s bordering city of Lahore by the fall of night.
Indian Army’s assurance to its government of capturing Lahore by the evening fell to the ground after stiff resistance on Chawinda, Burki and other major fronts. “The Indian claims of their victory in the war proved bogus.
On the ground, there was no evidence to support Indian claims,” an American Radio Service Journalist Rai Milan, who witnessed the 1965 war, had recorded in his published-diary report.
On that day, which must be called the day of Shuhada and Ghazis, the armed forces of Pakistan defeated an enemy far bigger than it in size and resources and wrote a historic story of the defence of the Land of the Pure.
But today, from a security point of view, the people of Pakistan, being members of a patriotic nation, are facing unprecedented events, trends, transformations, and challenges.
On May 9, 2023, workers of a political party launched violent protests across the country and ransacked private and public property.
Lt General (R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, while referring to observance of Pakistan Day told APP that the attacks on memorials of martyrs and military installations were highly regrettable and intolerable.
He said that, however, it was a good omen that the nation has rejected such puppets by standing in solidarity with the country, Pakistan Army and its martyrs, acknowledging their sacrifices.
“Pakistan is our motherland and we will never allow any kind of chaos or instability or disorder here at the behest of our cunning, local or foreign, enemy,” he resolved.
“This is an unforgettable moment on Pakistan Day that the entire nation expressed solidarity with its brave armed forces and paying tribute and salute to the sacrifices of its Shuhada and Ghazis,” he added.
Muhammad Irfan, a retired major of the Pakistan Army, said that any kind of protest and political destabilisation in the country were exhibiting the signals of foreign powers.
People have great love for the armed forces and they acknowledge the eternal sacrifices of the martyrs of the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Police, Frontier Constabulary (FC), and other law-enforcement agencies, who had laid down their lives for peace and order of the homeland, he added.
“We are living in a free atmosphere due to the great sacrifices of our martyrs,” he said adding that the sacrifices of martyrs and services of Ghazis were the nation’s capital of pride and valuable asset, he said.
The people of Pakistan are the strength of the Pakistan army and any effort to create a wedge between the Army and the people of Pakistan is an act against the State which could not be tolerated under any circumstances, he explained.
Hasan Raza, an elderly citizen, said that on Pakistan Day, the whole nation extended its love and expressed complete solidarity and support for the armed forces of Pakistan.
“We reiterate our commitment to national unity, integrity and harmony in the wake of the recent geostrategic situation and deprecate all anti-state elements, which are attempting to destabilise the country,” he said.
