An artist busy in giving final touch on the painting for independence day at NCA
A woman busy in selection and purchasing Pakistan Independence Day related stuff from stall in the city
Flag hoisting ceremony held at ICCI to celebrate ‘Independence Day’
ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (APP): The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) organized a flag-hoisting and cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the 76th Independence Day of Pakistan.
A large number of the business community attended the ceremony, said a press release issued here on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, President of ICCI Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said that Pakistan was achieved after making great sacrifices and we have to work hard as a nation to make it a progressive and welfare state.
He said, “Pakistan has faced many ups and downs during the last 76 years and we have to work on the principles of unity, faith and discipline advocated by Quaid-e-Azam to make Pakistan a strong economy of the region.”
He reiterated that the business community would fully support the government in its endeavours to put the economy on the path of sustainable growth.
He stressed for the elimination of extremism and terrorism to make Pakistan an attractive destination for investors.
Senior Vice President of ICCI Faad Waheed said that we as a nation should promote Made in Pakistan.
He further said, “Promoting ease of doing business and creating a conducive environment is the key requirement to steer the economy out of current challenges.”
Engineer Azhar ul Islam Zafar, Vice President ICCI said, “Pakistan is endowed with a lot of natural resources and urged the government to cooperate with the private sector in exploiting them in order to transform the country into a rising economy.”
Khalid Iqbal Malik, ICCI Group Leader said that the youth should be properly educated about the sacrifices, which were made for the creation of Pakistan.
He said that we should learn from past mistakes and make all possible efforts for a brighter future for Pakistan.
Former President of ICCI and Secretary General UBG Zafar Bakhtawari said that Pakistan was created by making a lot of sacrifices and every person in the nation had to play a role in its better development.
He said, “The 76th Independence Day of Pakistan reminds us that we as a nation should work hard with honesty and dedication to make Pakistan a progressive and prosperous economy.”
Students of Government high school participating with national flags in a Geo Pakistan rally in connection with Pakistan Independence day celebrations outside Press Club road
Gypsy Family busy making Baskets from dry tree branches at roadside setup
A beautiful view of Ibn e sina chowk in the city
US town Herndon proclaims Aug 14 as ‘Pakistan Independence Day’
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 12 (APP): The Town Council of Herndon, a town in the US state of Virginia, has declared August 14 as ‘Pakistan Independence Day’.
Naila Alam, a Pakistani-American member of Herndon Town Council, communicated the 7-member body’s decision to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, during a meeting at the Pakistani embassy here.
She also presented to the Pakistani envoy the proclamation signed by Mayor Sheila Olem of Herndon, Virginia.
Naila is the first Pakistani-American to have been elected twice for their own Council in Herdon, Virginia.
Ambassador Masood Khan felicitated Alam over the fruition of her efforts which clearly reflected her deep love for the country of her origin, saying that the move would help cement Pak-US ties, according to a Pakistani embassy press release.
Naila said, “It is a matter of great honour for her to get elected twice to serve the people of her town, which has a population of about 25,000.”
She said that she was committed to working for bringing the people of the two countries closer to each other.
The proclamation said, “The Town of Herndon takes great pride in being the home of many Pakistani-Americans and on this occasion, our community celebrates the hopes, dreams, and vital contributions of Americans of Pakistani origin across all aspects of our society.”
“Therefore, the Mayor of the Town of Herndon, Virginia, hereby proclaims the 14th day of August, as Pakistan Independence Day in the Town of Herndon, celebrates the 76th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, and encourages our residents to learn more about the history and culture of Pakistan ~ honouring their contributions to the Herndon community.”
Ambassador Masood Khan wished Naila even greater success in her political career as well as her social and humanitarian endeavours.
Woman holding a toy car while sitting rear seat of a Motorcycle
Labourer busy cutting wood into pieces with the help of an electric cutter at the timber market
Kashmiris demand implementation of UN resolution: Dr Fai
ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (APP): Secretary General of World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, has said that Kashmiris demand the implementation of the UN resolution of August 13, 1948 that acknowledged their right to self-determination.
According to Kashmir media service, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai in a statement issued in Washington said that Kashmiris in Jammu and Kashmir, the US and worldwide will observe the 75th anniversary of the unimplemented UN Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) resolution of August 13, 1948.
He said, that resolution states that ‘the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan reaffirm their wish that the future status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir shall be determined in accordance with the will of the people.’
He said, there was much in the resolution that was controversial between India and Pakistan but the proposal of a plebiscite was not.
“That is clear from the statement made on January 28, 1948 by Ambassador Fernand van Langenhove of Belgium as the President of the Security Council. He said that ‘the documents at our disposal show agreement between the parties on the following points: the plebiscite must be conducted under conditions which will ensure complete impartiality; and the plebiscite will therefore be held under the aegis of the United Nations,” he added.
Dr Fai reminded that the US, the UK, and France have traditionally been committed supporters of the plebiscite agreement as the only way to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
They sponsored all of the Security Council resolutions which called for a plebiscite. Their commitment was indicated by a personal appeal made by America’s President Harry Truman and Britain’s Prime Minister Clement Atlee that differences over demilitarization be submitted to arbitration by the Plebiscite Administrator, a distinguished American war hero: Admiral Chester Nimitz. In addition, Senator Frank Graham of America visited the Subcontinent as the UN representative to negotiate the demilitarization of Kashmir prior to the plebiscite. India objected to American acting as a Plebiscite Administrator.
Dr Fai said, if this day could be observed in peace, it could have been a fitting tribute to the members of the UNCIP who had adopted the resolution unanimously.
But the studied unconcern by the United Nations has given a sense of total impunity to India. It has also created the impression that the United Nations is invidiously selective about the application of the principles of human rights and democracy. He pointed out that frustration at India’s intransigence and the world’s hesitation to fulfill its commitment drove the people of Kashmir to be more assertive in their struggle.
He added that in the past 33 years of struggle, since 1990 alone, Kashmiris have suffered the loss of more than 100,000 civilians – men, women and children, and have borne the perpetration of countless atrocities by more than 900,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces concentrated in Kashmir as an army of occupation.
Dr Fai pointed out that India’s occupation of Kashmir has been left undisturbed by the international community, even though its validity has never been accepted. At no stage, however, have the people of Kashmir shown themselves to be reconciled to it.
Kashmir’s record of opposition to its annexation by the Indian Union can by no standard be reckoned as less genuinely demonstrated than that of the countries of Eastern Europe under the dominance of the Soviet Union. But while the popular revolt in the countries of Eastern Europe was observed and reported by the international media, that in Kashmir has remained largely hidden from the world’s view.
That is the reason that the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said that ‘news media in Kashmir is at the brink of extinction.’
Today, Dr Fai said, the consensus is that Kashmir conflict remains the underlying cause of the nuclear confrontation between the two neighboring countries. Without a just and lasting peace in Kashmir that vindicates self-determination, trying to reduce missile and nuclear arsenals in South Asia will be an exercise in futility.
“We still believe that Biden Administration despite its huge trade agreements with India can and should, lead the effort to achieve a fair and lasting settlement of the dispute – fair to the people most immediately involved and fair to its own commitments to democracy and human rights. By doing so, the US can strengthen the principles of a just world order. It will also earn the gratitude of generations in Kashmir, in Pakistan and even in India itself,” he pointed out.