Daily Times

QUETTA: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mehmood Hayat has said that Pakistan is the land of opportunities, tolerance, poets and writers, and the language Urdu defines the dynamic of Pakistaniyat

“Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people and I am not saying this because I am a Pakistani but because I have visited 50 countries across the world and met people there,” General Zubair said while addressing a daylong seminar on Nationalism (Pakistaniat) at the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences in Quetta on Monday.

“An environment was created which made it seem that Pakistanis are extremists and hostile but this is not true. You have the potential and that is what I have come here to tell you,” he said, adding, “Our children have dynamic personalities and innovative and creative minds.”

Citing an international survey on people’s willingness to fight for their country, General Zubair said, “Of 194 countries surveyed, Pakistan ranked number two in willingness of citizens to fight for their country.”

He added, “When we talk about Pakistaniyat the first name comes to our mind is that of father of the nation, Quaid-e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, whose commitment, character and will power define the ideology of Pakistan.”

In addition, he said that Pakistaniyat is the name of different civilisations and rich history of saints and Sufis tombs.

Pakistanis are the most intelligent nation throughout the world. Likewise, he said Pakistanis are the most charitable people while spending 3% of GDP on welfare work.

Ex-Senator from Balochistan Robina Irfan highlighted the role of women for promoting the ideology of Pakistan. “When I was a senator I struggled for the development of country, especially Balochistan. I engaged female youth and made first football team of women named ‘Balochistan United’. I represented Pakistan in Bahrain and other countries.”

At the end, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) Chairman General (r) Saad Khataq presented shields to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Zubair Mehmood Hayat, and other guests, including Ex-Senator Robina Irfan, Kursheed Barocha, Brigader Ahmed Gull, and Vice Chancellor Ahmed Farooq Bazai.

Published in Daily Times, April 24^th 2018.