Shehbaz says Pakistan Movement is a lesson for everyone for national goals n If we can become a nuclear power, we can also become economic power n Pays tribute to all those who made country’s defence indispensable n Creation of Pakistan was a sacred mission n Launches re-recorded national anthem n PM underlines need for national dialogue, consensus on charter of economy.

ISLAMABAD:    -  Prime Minister Muhammad She­hbaz Sharif has urged the nation to work for the development of country by following the gold­en principles of faith, unity and discipline set by founder of the Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muham­mad Ali Jinnah.

The prime minister, while terming youth as a priority, said the government will provide all possible opportunities to them as the country’s future be­longs to youth. The prime minis­ter was addressing the national flag-hoisting ceremony and also unveiled re-recorded national anthem at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad on the Inde­pendence Day of Pakistan.

The prime minister said if we can become a nuclear power, we can also become an economic power but we have to strive day and night. He also paid tribute to all those who made country’s defence indispensable by mak­ing it a nuclear power including Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Muham­mad Nawaz Sharif and armed forces of the country. The prime minister expressed grief over human and infrastructure loss­es in flood-affected Balochistan and assured that all available re­sources will be utilized for relief and rehabilitation.

He also prayed for the libera­tion of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Occu­pied Palestine from the illegal foreign occupation.

The ceremony was attended by federal ministers, parliamen­tarians, senior military officials, law enforcement agencies’ high-ups and people belonging to all walks of life. “Pakistan Move­ment is a lesson for everyone which tells when a nation de­vised the course of its path, the mountain-like hurdles and seas like distances could not hamper it from achieving desired goal,” the prime minister added.

The prime minister recalled that when Allama Iqbal dreamt

 of a separate motherland, a sense of pessimism was created that it was not feasible.

“We salute the founding fa­thers of Pakistan who had smashed such sense of pessi­mism, and due to their historic struggle, we are now breathing in an independence and sover­eign country,” he added.

The prime minister said for decades, the Muslims in the sub-continent faced the foreign subjugation, they laid down their lives, gave immense sac­rifices, made a historic migra­tion and lost their near and dear ones in that perilous journey to achieve a separate ideological state. He paid glowing tributes to all those who lost their lives in the Independence Movement.

He said creation of Pakistan was a sacred trust and mission, the first phase of which was completed, but its second phase was still incomplete. “The mis­sion is to give practical shape to those ideals which were re­flected in Pakistan Resolution of 23rd March,” he added.

He said that on its indepen­dence, Pakistan was deprived of its due shares, but despite all those odds, it made excellent progress in different fields as being the 7th in the world and 1st nuclear power of Islamic world. Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto started the nuclear programme and former prime minister Mu­hammad Nawaz Sharif realised it, he maintained.

The prime minister said Paki­stan had been playing a key role in the UN peacekeeping mis­sions; its players had raised the national flag in different games.

He underlined the need for retrospection and reflection on the past history of the country by rectifying the mistakes.

The prime minister resolved that for making Pakistan an ide­al state as dreamt about by the founding fathers, they would be ready to shed the last drop of their blood to foil enemies’ de­signs with the support of the brave armed forces, and har­ness the true potential of youth to lead the future way.

The prime minister said that they were thankful to Allah Al­mighty for observing the 75th anniversary celebrations and lauded the contributions made by the Pakistani expatriates and their valuable part in the development and prosperity of the country.

Expressing his deep grief and sorrow over the recent losses in the flash floods, the prime min­ister said the recent rainfalls caused destruction and huge losses in different parts of the country, especially in Baloch­istan as hundreds had lost their lives and children were left or­phans. He prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

The prime minister said on this day, they also acknowl­edged the contributions of civil society members like late Abdul Sattar Edhi and Dr Ruth Pfau.

The prime minister also high­lighted the minorities’ role in Pakistan Movement and appre­ciated their sacrifices.

He said Quaid-e-Azam Mu­hammad Ali Jinnah had stressed on the religious freedom in the newly created Pakistan as there would be rule of law, Constitu­tion and democracy.

He said the government ac­corded high priority to realize the true potential of the coun­try’s youth and expressed the optimism that youth would steer the future course of coun­try’s progress and prosperity by following Quaid’s principles of unity and discipline.

He urged them to transform Pakistan into an ideal state and economic power hub and ac­complish the mission of its fore­fathers by discarding the beg­ging bowl. The prime minister also expressed his pleasure that the national anthem was re-re­corded after 68th years, which was a beautiful bouquet of the national culture and appreciat­ed efforts of the ministry of in­formation, ISPR and others for its re-recording.

The PM again stressed for holding of a national dialogue and developing a consensus on charter of economy by all the stakeholders to transform Pa­kistan into an economic power.

He said that like their fore­fathers, on this 75th Inde­pendence Day, they vowed to transform Pakistan into an eco­nomic power “If we can become a nuclear power, we can also be­come an economic power but for it we have to strive day and night and prove to the world that we are no less than anyone in the world,” the prime minis­ter added.

The prime minister said Paki­stan had been playing a key role in the UN peacekeeping mis­sions, its players had raised the national flag in different games. “It is a fact that we have made progress in different arenas, but the speed which with we have to achieve that mission, there were shortfalls which should be overcome,” he stressed. The prime minister resolved that for making Pakistan an ideal nation-state as dreamt about by the founding fathers, they would be ready to shed the last drop their blood, foil enemies’ designs with the support of the brave armed forces and harness the true potential of youth to lead the future way.