KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has greeted the nation on the 70th Independence Day, stating that every Pakistani had to play his role to create a great egalitarian role-model Muslim country. In his message on the eve of Independence Day, the PPP chairman said that 70 years were enough for achieving maturity as a nation. “However, dictatorships and their political prodigies have marred the level of our progress and achievements. Democracies have been only small intervals in our history, while most of the time the country has been under dictatorial or unconstitutional rules. Masses were subjected to ruthless physical and economic atrocities keeping them under perpetual subjugation,” he said. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that people of Pakistan had been deprived of fruits of freedom and independence. “Enemies of the ideology of Pakistan let loose terror, heroine and Kalashnikov culture against the people to crush their dreams,” he said. Being the true torchbearer of the ideology of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the PPP, he said, had suffered heavy in the form of sacrifices of its leadership, workers and the supporters. But the struggle for the democratic and basic rights of Pakistanis will not be subdued, he said. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid homage to the generation and its leaders which fought for independence and eventually achieved freedom through innumerable sacrifices of lives, properties and dignity. “Today, we remember the heroes of independence movement and salute them for carving out a separate country for their next generations to thrive as a vibrant, progressive and strong nation,” he said. “We cannot forget more than 50,000 martyrs who laid down their lives in nation’s fight against terrorism, which targetted common people, law enforcing agencies, students, women, and the youth. Right from schools to hospitals, garrisons to mosques, government to private installations, NGOs to political parties; the terrorists are targeting everything,” he said. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called upon all the citizens of Pakistan to stand up against extremism, terrorism and their facilitators to safeguard the freedom and independence. “Pakistan has a great potential to lead the third world and Muslim Ummah into peace and prosperity. We all need to explore that potential,” he added. Published in Daily Times, August 14th 2017.