Pakistan was born from the idea of the two-nation theory and this ideology was strengthened following the 1965 Indo-Pak war in which Islamabad rebuffed Indian aggression, said Irfan Hashmi, president, Majliz-e-Iqbal, Aalami Urdu Markaz.

Hashmi was speaking on the occasion of Pakistan’s Defense Day, held by the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) to commemorate those who had valiantly fought off the enemy on Sept. 6, 1965.

Hashmi took the opportunity to raise the issue of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, calling it a national issue.

PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque criticized the opposition rallies in the capital, which he said have “created a negative impact on our ailing economy and image of the country,” especially in the wake of the severe flood which has affected millions of people and killed hundreds and also destroyed major crops. “Such issues should be taken up in Parliament or through the Supreme Court,” Ehsan observed.

The PRC convener urged the lawmakers to resolve issues in Parliament and take the help of “the army only during crucial times.”

He stressed on a strong conviction and faith in Almighty God to revive the spirit of Pakistan which had once led the nation to victory in the 1965 war against India and which had withstood the debacle of the 1971 war when Pakistan lost to India.

Mohammad Amanatullah, an Urdu columnist said that Pakistanis are divided into parochial, linguistic and provincial factions and hence have lost the way to achieving the purpose of Pakistan. He stressed on the need for unity as “we had stood united in 1965.”

Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi of the Pakistan Journalists Forum recalled the address that then President Ayub Khan had made to the nation in the wake of the Indian attack on Sept. 6, 1965 and the whole nation had stood with the Pak army to defend the country. He said that the young generation should be taught about those sacrifices and be instilled with a sense of patriotism.

Choudhry Riaz Ghumman, member of the Kashmir Committee, admired the heroism of the Pakistan forces against the aggression. He said saving Pakistan is like saving the dignity of the Muslim world.

Community worker Shamsuddin Altaf also praised the PRC for holding the function to mark this important national day and prayed that everyone would follow the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah to build a strong Pakistan.

Other speakers on the occasion included Syed Shehabuddin, PRC’s deputy secretary general and Sheikh Mohammad Luqman. Syed Mohsin Alavi, Zamurrad Khan Saifi and Sher Afzal paid poetic tributes to the martyrs of the 1965 war.