News Analysis |
The Prime Minister Imran Khan paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1965 war at a ceremony held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa and other civil leaders including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif were also in attendance.
Pakistan’s 53rd Defence Day was also attended by the family members of the martyrs, parliamentarians, media representatives, celebrities, sportsmen, and school children. Emotional, captivating and exciting videos were shared when the famous singers performed on touching and soulful songs. The performance of the military soldiers touched the chord with the dignitaries and some emotional scenes were witnessed at the commemorating ceremony.
Khan’s Heartwarming Speech
Khan did not bring a written speech and started off on a lighter note—narrating an episode from his life, when on 6 September 1965, Khan joined the bunker of his cousins in Zaman Park with his dad’s gun, only to be returned dejected with a scolding that he was too little to fight the enemy.
Khan expressed concerns for the underprivileged in the country and again reiterated the desire to bring equality and equity in Pakistan society to spark the same passion and motivation among the public for their country what he witnessed in 1965.
He also acknowledged that he never saw the same passion among his countrymen what he witnessed during the 1965 war. PM Khan in his speech assured the audience and Pakistani public that Pakistan would never again fight someone else’s war. He boldly told the generals that he was against the involvement of country’s armed forces in the war waged at the behest of foreign nations from day one.
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He lauded the Pakistan Army for professionalism and termed it the only institution in Pakistan which remained intact. “The Pakistan army is functioning at its best because of non-political interference and its priority for merit,” he acknowledged. Khan downplayed the myth that civilian-military relations always remain in a fix and vowed to work together for a common goal to move the country forward.
After making reference to the presentations in GHQ and civilian institutions, Khan assured that this country was destined to rise if the rule of law was strengthened. Citing the example from the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Khan said, “our Prophet brought the disintegrated weak tribes together to make them a strong nation—which ruled the world for centuries. Pakistan needs to follow this to emerge as a nation.”
The military establishment has recognized Khan’s true grit and honesty to strengthen the federation. PM Khan’s words show how good it is to be normal.
This ceremony witnessed the infusion of civil and military leadership was a welcome change in a country which normally such a restrained relationship between the civil and military rulers
Reduce Inequality to Spark the Passion of 1965
The chief guest PM Khan who was accompanied by First Lady Bushra Imran enthralled the audience with an emotional and lighter speech. Khan expressed concerns for the underprivileged in the country and again reiterated the desire to bring equality and equity in Pakistan society to spark the same passion and motivation among the public for their country what he witnessed in 1965.
It’s the deprivation and inequality—which put the children and society at large on the brink of collapse. PM assured that all the institutions would work together to play part in the progression of Pakistan. It was the essence of Khan’s speech. After initially addressing the martyrs’ families, he did not touch on the subject much and repeated some of the points from his maiden address to the nation.
Read more: Imran Khan: The peoples Prime Minister
PM Khan seems sincere, and a man on a mission to bring together the fragmented nation on one page to ensure prosperity. The military establishment has recognized Khan’s true grit and honesty to strengthen the federation. PM Khan’s words show how good it is to be normal. Words echoed from heart liberate the listeners of the boredom of scripts written out of compulsion on such occasions.