Daily Times

On the occasion of seventh day of the martyrdom of Lt Gen Qassem Soleimani on Friday, a commemoration ceremony was held at al-Sadiq Institute in Islamabad.

Iranian ambassador Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini and prominent political and religious figures attended the ceremony.

“The commander of the Quds Force put all his efforts for the stability and security of the region and fought against the brutal and criminal terrorists until he sacrificed his life in defense of the oppressed people of our region,” the ambassador said in his speech. “Commander Soleimani was striving for peace and security for all the nations of the region. He was seeking to provide security, stability and peace for all by fighting terrorists. There are no differences in this path between Shias and Sunnis, Christians, Kurds, Turkmen, Izadis and so on. Even a foreign official praised the commander for supporting Syrian Christians. For Martyr Qassem Soleimani, humanity and human lives mattered most. He was martyred for the sake of serving and sacrificing for humanity and providing human rights, the most obvious of which is security and the right to life,” he added.

The ambassador said General Soleimani was “successful in defeating the US and the Zionist regime in achieving their development goals in the region and in Islamic countries.” “During his life, Soleimani was a man of faith and good deeds. He enjoyed unparalleled popularity among the people of the region because of his divine popularity. The United States and its allies never imagined that the Martyrdom of General Soleimani would have such a broad impact in Islamic countries,” he added.

“General Soleimani advanced and developed the principle of resistance against bullying, oppressors and imperialism into a culture throughout the region. He was a symbol and master of this culture. He is a role model for all freedom-seekers in the world, both Muslims and non-Muslims,” he said. “Various terrorist groups have been seeking to assassinate Soleimani in recent years, but have failed. What the terrorist groups like ISIS and the likes of it failed to do, was done by the most evil people on earth,” he added.

Prime Minister’s Spokesman Nadeem Afzal Chan, Allama Mohammad Amin Shahidi, chairman of the United Ummah Assembly, Allama Sayed Iftekhar Hossein Naqvi, head of the SCTV, Mian Aslam and Mufti Golzar Naimi also expressed their condolences on the occasion. They condemned the assassination of General Soleimani and his companions in attack by the United States. “General Qassem Soleimani is a martyr for the path of Al-Quds and the liberation of Palestine. Soleimani united all Muslims with his martyrdom,” they maintained.

Allama Sheikh Shafa Najafi, imam of the mosque of al-Sadiq (AS), in his speech described Soleimani as the Maalik Ashtar of the time and the great martyr of the Islamic Ummah. “Soleimani was the leader of the war against arrogance and the criminals to know that the blood our martyrs will not be wasted. The martyrdom of Qassem Soleimani has given the Muslims great power,” he said.

“The blood of these martyrs is injected into the body of the Islamic community and gives it a new life,” the deputy head of the Shia Islamic Council of Afghanistan said in his speech. “The enemies know that the Soleimanis will stand forever and defend territory of Islam, the dignity and honor of Islam. This land will be the legacy of God’s righteous servants,” he added.