The 75th Independence Day of Pakistan was celebrated throughout Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with traditional zeal and zest on Saturday with special emphasis to highlight the struggle of national heroes for a separate homeland.
The day dawned with 21 gun salutes in the state capital while special prayers were offered in mosques at Fajar prayers for peace, solidarity, integrity and prosperity of the country and early liberation of occupied Kashmir from Indian clutches. Flag hoisting ceremonies were held in all the divisional and tehsil headquarters of the state to pay tributes to the Father of the Nation for his untiring efforts for carving out a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub continent.
The main flag-hoisting ceremony was held at President House in the State metropolis where the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi was the chief guest and performed the flag hoisting ceremony. Addressing the flag hoisting ceremony, the AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi urged the United Nations and world powers to prevail upon India to stop its aggressive designs and play their role for establishing durable and lasting peace in the region.
He said India has been violating the United Nations resolutions and had also failed to implement the world body agreed resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. He said India has intensified the reign of terror in occupied Kashmir to crush the freedom movement but the Kashmiri people are determined to continue their struggle till the achievement of their right to self determination. The Prime Minister said that the people of Occupied Kashmir have rejected the Indian government’s illegal action of 5th of August 2019 while India has intensified its reign of terror in occupied Kashmir to crush the indigenous freedom movement. The AJK Prime Minister assured that the government of Azad Kashmir will continue to play its leading role in the base camp of the Kashmir liberation movement.
He said that Pakistan had given tremendous sacrifices and over 70 thousands civil and armed forces officials have offered their lives in the war against terror and suffered the loss of billion of Dollars. He said that the liberation of occupied Kashmir will remain top priority of his government followed by the improvement of infrastructure provision of education health and facilities to the people of Azad Kashmir.
Paying rich tributes to the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he reaffirmed to follow the ideology of the Father of the Nation and Allama Iqbal to turn the state into an Islamic welfare state..
The ceremony was attended by the former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Deputy Speaker, members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and high ranking government officials. National songs and the Kalam-e-Iqbal were also presented by the student during the ceremony Meanwhile, flag hoisting ceremony was held at AJK Supreme Court Building where AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan and the Chief Justice of the High Court Sadaqat Hussain Raja jointly performed the flag hoisting ceremony .
The National and state anthems were played while a smartly turned out police contingent presented a salute. Special prayers were offered for the prosperity, integrity and solidarity of the country and early liberation of occupied Kashmir. The ceremony was attended by the Judges, Vice chairman Bar Council, members of the Bar association and senior lawyers.
