ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the resolve not to permit any dictator to usurp the basic rights of the people and also not to allow them to trample on the democratic aspirations of the nation.
“Let us also resolve that we will uphold the Constitution and never allow it to be abrogated, subverted or held in abeyance,” President Zardari said in a message to the nation on the Pakistan Day.
Zardari said the situation requires us to work in the spirit of tolerance, mutual accommodation and respect for dissent. He said the Pakistan Day was an auspicious occasion as 71 years ago, the Muslims of the subcontinent formally committed themselves through a resolution for achieving a separate homeland for themselves.
He said that with the blessings of Allah and through the struggle of our heroes, the Muslims of the subcontinent achieved their objective on August 14, 1947, within a short span of seven years of the expression of their resolve.
The president said the country’s founding fathers had resolved to carve out an independent state where there would be democracy and where constitutionalism and rule of law would reign supreme.
“Unfortunately, successive dictators tried to stifle the democratic aspirations of the people. Constitutionalism and rule of law was trampled by the dictators sometimes under the doctrine of necessity and sometimes under the theory of successful revolution,” he said.
He mentioned that the unanimous Constitution of 1973 was disfigured by the dictators to suit their own political ambitions. He, however, stressed that the democratic aspirations could never be killed.
“The Pakistan Day this year will go down in history of the country as a memorable day when parliament and the nation is poised to take a giant leap forward to realise the dream for which Pakistan was created by strengthening parliamentary democracy, federalism and constitutionalism,” he said.
President Zardari said it was the manifestation of the democratic urge of the people that parliament was poised to purge the Constitution of all the articles inserted into it by the successive dictators.
He complimented parliament and the nation for this and expressed the hope that parliament, people and all the institutions of the State would work in harmony towards this end. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani called upon the Pakistanis to renew their pledge to unwaveringly strive to make Pakistan a peaceful, prosperous and democratic country.
In his message on the Pakistan Day, the prime minister said: “In spite of many trials and tribulations, our nation has always emerged with renewed strength and confidence.” He expressed the confidence that despite the magnitude of challenges being faced on both internal and external fronts, the nation would overcome them with the help of Almighty Allah, with the cooperation of all the democratic forces and the support of the people of Pakistan.
The prime minister said: “Today, we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the historical Pakistan Resolution.” He said the day reminded of the valiant struggle, immense sacrifices and firm resolve of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslims of the subcontinent in search of a separate homeland to live in peace and fashion their lives according to their own belief and culture.
Source: http://www.geo.tv/3-23-2010/61604.htm
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