Daily Times

Addressing the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “We both civil, military have a common goal and that is to take this country forward.” He said the Pakistani nation was destined to rise as all state institutions were determined to work together, to make it great. “There is a myth of civil-military rift. A myth of civil-military imbalance has been created. There is no such issue. We have to elevate this country. All of us have a common goal of making the country rise Our life and death; is for this country”, Imran Khan said. He saluted the valour and sacrifices of the Armed forces, which stood strong against all odds in the aftermath of the 9/11 and the unconventional war that followed, to safeguard the interests of the country.

September 6, is one of the most important days in Pakistan’s history. On this day the Indian Army crossed the international borders without a formal declaration of War. It was a time when not just our brave soldiers but the whole nation was cast into the mould of a cohesive unit to defend our home land, and defeated the Indian Army and made them retrieve from all fronts. The seventeen-day war witnessed the largest tank battles since World War II, causing thousands of casualties on both sides, but remained militarily inconclusive. Pakistan withstood the invasion of its territory by an enemy four times bigger than itself, and in doing so the whole nation stood up to the challenge with an iron resolve. The nation mobilised at every level, where every child, man or woman worked towards the war effort, be it to raise funds, train as civilian guards, or as nurses in hospitals. Madam Noor Jehan took to the airwaves to sing her inspirational war songs in praise of the defenders, and she became a symbol of the indomitable will of the nation.

September 6, is one of the most important days in Pakistan’s history. On this day the Indian Army crossed the international borders without a formal declaration of War. It was a time when not just our brave soldiers but the whole nation was cast into the mould of a cohesive unit to defend our home land, and defeated the Indian Army and made them retrieve from all fronts.

During the 1965 War, while the Armed forces were engaged in defending geographical frontiers on ground, air and sea, the entire nation formed a strong rock-like second defence line extending and providing all support to their forces. In doing so, the people had forgotten which government was in power. Pakistan emerged from the 1965, war as a strong and self-confident nation, genuinely proud of itself and its Armed forces. It is this nationalism that is celebrated on September 6. A nationalism which says; ‘put the benefit of the nation and those around you before your own’. A type of thinking which we need more than ever in these perilous times. An approach that may be our only real hope of tackling the menace that is extremism. So if anything can be said about our Defense Day celebrations, it’s that we aren’t doing enough. We defended our way of life against an all out attack by a much larger and better equipped Army. It is therefore essential that each and every Pakistani should know the true meaning of Defense Day.

The main ceremony with regard to Defence and Martyrs Day was held at General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi, with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, senior civilian and military leaders, and other dignitaries in presence. They included PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and opposition leader in the parliament Shahbaz Sharif also. Families of martyrs, members of the federal cabinet, heads of political parties, lawmakers and celebrities were also amongst the attendees at the ceremony. The Pakistani nation celebrated the day to pay tribute to its martyrs on the 53rd anniversary of the 1965 war. On this day, 53 years ago, the nation foiled the nefarious designs of the enemy. Addressing the ceremony, the COAS said today was a day of solidarity with martyrs of Pakistan and that they all were united for the defence of the motherland. He said that September 6 was an important day in the country’s history and that they had learnt a lot from the 1965 and 1971 wars.”Our forces and nation have rendered sacrifices in the war against terrorism,” General Bajwa said. “Our houses, schools and leaders were attacked. Efforts were made to weaken us internally.”

Noting that more than 70,000 Pakistanis were martyred and injured in this war, the Army chief vowed to collectively fight this menace of terrorism. He said that enlightened nations do not forget their martyrs, adding, “We will avenge the blood flowing on the border.” He also said that continuity of democracy was necessary in the country. The army chief further paid a tribute to the Kashmiri brethren for their struggle for right to self-determination.

PM Khan said that the country’s foreign policy will be for the betterment of the nation under his command. He further stated that there is no civil-military tension among the institutions as all have the shared objective of taking the country forward. PM Imran also paid rich tribute to the martyrs for their sacrifices in defending the motherland and assured their families that every possible step will be taken for their welfare.

The Army Chief directed that the field formation should reach out to families of martyrs in their respective areas as a mark of respect and in acknowledgment of their great sacrifices. This is a day of national pride, this is a day when each and every citizen of the country was united like a rock and stood shoulder to shoulder with Armed forces of Pakistan. Although our enemy violated international law by crossing our borders without any declaration of war even then our armed forces joined by people of Pakistan gave crushing defeat to India that is now a permanent part of history.

The PM said that the country’s foreign policy will be for the betterment of the nation under his command. He stated that there was no civil-military tension among the institutions as all have the shared objective of taking the country forward. PM Imran also paid a rich tribute to the martyrs for their sacrifices in defending the motherland and assured their families that every possible step will be taken for their welfare.

The author is a freelance columnist, currently based in Peshawar

Published in Daily Times, September 19^th 2018.