LAHORE: Pakistan observed Defence and Martyrs’ Day on Saturday with national fervour, as ceremonies across the country marked the sixty-first anniversary of the 1965 war and paid homage to the soldiers who fell defending the country’s frontiers.
The centrepiece of the day’s observances was a change-of-guard ceremony at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi, where cadets of the Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan assumed guard duties at the resting place of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. A similar ceremony was held at Mazar-e-Iqbal in Lahore. Commemorative events, tributes to the martyrs and ghazis of the September war, and special prayers for national security were held in all four provinces.
The PAF contingent that took over guard duties at the Quaid’s mausoleum comprised 72 cadets, including 64 male and eight female cadets. A smartly turned-out detachment presented a parade in a distinctive tribute to the founder of the nation.
Air Vice Marshal Hassan Faisal attended as chief guest. He laid a floral wreath at the mausoleum, offered fateha, and recorded his impressions in the visitors’ book. A special prayer was offered for the security, stability and progress of Pakistan.
Addressing the ceremony, the Air Vice Marshal said the defence of the country’s airspace rests in the strong hands of the Pakistan Air Force, adding that Pakistan alone would decide when, where and in what manner to respond to any act of aggression.
September 6, 1965 remains a defining milestone in the history of Pakistan’s defence. On that day, India attempted aggression across Pakistan’s borders, launching simultaneous attacks on the Lahore, Sialkot and Kasur fronts. Troops of the Pakistan Army offered stiff resistance, frustrated the enemy’s designs and forced a retreat.
Among the war’s most enduring accounts is that of Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, who held enemy armour at bay on the BRB Canal front for five days before embracing martyrdom after blunting the assault. In the air, Squadron Leader M.M. Alam set a new benchmark of valour by shooting down five enemy aircraft in less than a minute.
The fighting continued for 17 days. A ceasefire came into effect on September 23, 1965, with India failing to achieve its objectives.
In his message on Defence and Martyrs’ Day, President Asif Ali Zardari said September 6 stands in national history as a memorial to great sacrifice, resolve and courage, and offers an occasion to pay tribute to the enduring sacrifices of the country’s finest sons.
The President said that in 1965 the armed forces defeated the enemy’s designs on every front, while the martyrs wrote lasting chapters of bravery and patriotism with their blood. The national unity and spirit of faith displayed on September 6, 1965, he said, reflected the country’s collective strength, and no power on earth can defeat the resolve of a united nation.
He described the success of Marka-e-Haq as a continuation of the patriotic spirit of September 6 and as evidence of the professional skill, determination and bravery of the armed forces.
Pakistan, the President said, has emerged as an effective and responsible pillar of peace and security in the region and is contributing to peace, stability and collective security beyond its own borders. There can be no compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, he added, and durable peace in South Asia is not possible without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Alongside a strong defence, the President said, economic stability and national cohesion form the foundation of Pakistan’s strength. He renewed the pledge to build a strong, democratic and prosperous state in line with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif saluted the officers, soldiers, martyrs and ghazis of the armed forces, saying the entire nation is proud of the Pakistan Army, the Pakistan Air Force and the Pakistan Navy.
In her message, she said the Army set new standards of professional excellence during Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, and that the nation prays for the safety of the officers and soldiers engaged in the fight against terrorism. Wars, she said, are won not by weapons alone but by faith, conviction and resolve, and by the grace of Allah, Pakistan today is strong and its defence impregnable.
The Chief Minister said Pakistan is a nuclear power and its people are more confident than ever, describing the soldiers standing guard on the frontiers as the pride of the nation. The challenges facing Pakistan, she added, demand national unity and solidarity, and the designs of hostile forces seeking to create instability must be defeated with full strength and determination.
The Punjab Police paid tribute to the armed forces, terming their sacrifices for national defence unforgettable.
The Inspector General of Punjab said the force salutes the armed forces for making the country’s defence invincible, adding that the Pakistan Army’s spirit of sacrifice has no parallel. The Punjab Police, he said, pays homage to the martyrs of the armed forces and stands shoulder to shoulder with the Army in defending the country’s internal and external frontiers.
He said Defence Day is a day of renewing the covenant with those who laid down their lives for the country, noting that the police too have sacrificed lives protecting internal borders and citizens. Hostile states, he added, are attacking Pakistan’s ideological frontiers through fifth-generation warfare, which requires the defence of social values and the moral and religious upbringing of the new generation.
Tributes were paid to the martyrs of Pakistan by the leadership of the armed forces, including Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and General Amir Raza, with the services also expressing honour and gratitude towards the ghazis and the families of the martyrs.
According to the ISPR, September 6 is an enduring symbol of national unity, resolve and courage. In the 1965 war, the nation stood united for the defence of the motherland. The martyrs of Pakistan, it said, represent the highest values of duty, honour and sacrifice, and their sacrifices on land, in the air and at sea remain a beacon for coming generations. The families of the martyrs were described as lasting symbols of fortitude, and tribute was also paid to the ghazis guarding the country’s frontiers.
The armed forces, the statement said, are fully prepared to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests. Pakistan seeks peace, stability and prosperity in the region and is committed to peaceful coexistence, but its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness: any aggression against Pakistan will be met with an immediate and decisive response.
The military renewed its pledge of unwavering loyalty and service to Pakistan and its people, adding that the sacrifices of the martyrs, the spirit of the ghazis and the resilience of the martyrs’ families will remain a source of national strength and pride.
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