JEDDAH: Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) held a function to mark Pakistan founder Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s 132rd birthday. Farouk Luqman, writer and editor in chief of Urdu News and Malayalam News, was the chief guest.
Syed Riaz Hussain Bukhari, president Pakistan Peoples Community, said the PRC was not only projecting the plight of stranded Pakistanis but was also helping the cause of Kashmir. He said the country’s achievements were possible because of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
Mohammad Ashfaq Badayouni paid rich tribute to Jinnah and said that it was tragic that the country could not solve the issue of stranded Pakistanis for 37 years. Tariq Mahmood presented his write-up on Quaid-e-Azam outlining his major achievements. Describing Jinnah as a man of strong character, he added that Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, had said that if there was no Gandhi India would still have been there, but without Jinnah Pakistan was not possible.
PRC Convener Ehsanul Haque said: “It’s high time we adhered to Jinnah’s message for preserving unity, faith and discipline to realize the objective of Pakistan’s creation and build an Islamic welfare state.” He urged the parties of the ruling alliance in Pakistan to take measures to repatriate the stranded Pakistanis. The meeting resolved that the Organization of the Islamic Conference should include in its agenda the issue of settlement of the stranded Pakistanis.
