Addressing Pakistan Day Parade, Asif Ali Zardari congratulates nation n Categorically states no compromise on country’s sovereignty n Pakistan is a peace-loving, responsible nuclear state n Kashmir dispute main reason for instability in region n Reiterates Pakistan’s continued support for Palestinian people.

ISLAMABAD  -   President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said that Pakistan is a peace-loving and responsible nuclear state but it would neither make any compromise on its sovereignty nor would tolerate any efforts of terrorists or any group aimed at destabilising it.

 “Pakistan wants relations with all its neighbours. We are a peace-loving country and a responsible nuclear state. However, let me make it clear that we will not compromise on our sovereignty... We will not tolerate any efforts by terrorists or any group to destabilise our country,” the president said addressing the Pakistan Day Parade ceremony held here. Pakistan Day is observed in remembrance of the adoption of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940. This resolution, put forth by the All-India Muslim League, called for the cre­ation of a distinct homeland for Mus­lims of the subcontinent. The day start­ed with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the pro­vincial capitals. Besides President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Muham­mad Shehbaz Sharif, federal cabinet members, services chiefs, diplomats, notables from different walks of life and a huge number of citizens attend­ed the ceremony. Saudi Defence Minis­ter Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, who previously served as an F-15 pilot in Royal Saudi Air Force, was the guest of honour of the ceremony. In his ad­dress, President Zardari said that the Pakistani nation and armed forces were always ready to respond to any aggres­sion at all times. “Today’s parade is a reminder of our unity, strength, and pride,” said the president who earlier reviewed the parade after arriving at the venue escorted in his chariot by the presidential guards mounted on horses.

The president congratulated the na­tion on the Day which commemorat­ed the historic struggle of the Muslims of the subcontinent to achieve a sepa­rate homeland under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He also paid tribute to the martyrs and Ghazis with a resolve to make all-out efforts to protect national security and sovereignty. The president’s address encompassed domestic subjects like recent elections, efforts against terror­ism, economic challenges, and the es­tablishment of SIFC, and the regional situation including the human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir as well as Gaza.

He told the gathering that the Kashmir dispute was the main reason for instabil­ity in the region as the people of Kash­mir had been demanding their self-de­termination rights for the last 76 years. Condemning the Indian brutalities and the human rights violations in Kashmir, President Zardari urged the internation­al community to play its role in the im­plementation of the UN Security resolu­tion. He also assured the Kashmiris that the people of Pakistan would contin­ue standing by them till they were given their right to self-determination. Coming to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, he appealed to the international commu­nity to take measures to ensure that kill­ings of women and children was stopped and a ceasefire was declared, besides es­tablishing a humanitarian corridor. The president also reiterated Pakistan’s con­tinued support for the Palestinian peo­ple till the resolution of the issue as per their aspirations. Recounting the coun­try’s journey marked with many ups and downs, he said despite numerous chal­lenges, the Pakistani nation achieved distinctions in the fields of defense, ag­riculture and technology, besides its in­ternationally recognised contribution to fighting against terrorism. Highlighting the current social, political and econom­ic challenges facing the country, he said following the successful holding of elec­tions and the formation of a democratic government, it was the responsibility of all to seek solutions to all the issues.