THE government has decided and understandably so to celebrate this year’s Independence Day under the banner of “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) to demonstrate the nation’s resilience, progress and pride.
Minister for Planning Professor Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting on Tuesday to discuss plans to make the day truly reflective of the feelings, aspirations and pride of the people of Pakistan.
There is a reason to celebrate the day with a difference as our armed forces successfully thwarted designs of the enemy and boosted confidence of the people in the future of the country by their matchless professionalism in the recent war with India. Therefore, it will be a perfect occasion to pay tributes to heroes and send a clear message to the world that Pakistan stands proud, strong and committed to its sovereignty. The Minister pointed out that at the same time, the government aimed to highlight the steady progress being made in economic recovery, defence resilience and international recognition of the country’s leadership, financial stabilization and expertise, showing that Pakistan’s journey was “not just about survival but about rising to its full potential”. However, there are apprehensions that the message of unity that the government wants to convey to the world might be lost as PTI has decided to launch a country-wide protest movement ahead of the Independence Day. The party has its own reasons for deciding the schedule of the protest campaign as it will coincide with completion of two years of incarceration of its leader Imran Khan but there is a definite need to review the plan in view of the special significance of the Independence Day celebrations.
