ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain said in his address to the Independence Day ceremony on Tuesday that decisions on the country’s future would be made through ballot.
“This is a day of true celebration and I congratulate the whole nation on this auspicious day,” he said in an address at the main event in Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center.
The celebration was attended by caretaker Prime Minister Justice (Retd.) Nasir-ul-Mulk, the three chiefs of the armed forces, including army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Speaker National Assembly, chairman Senate and other VIPs and foreign dignitaries.
The president said that Independence Day celebrations and general elections had fallen around the same time this year.
“A message lies in it for us,” he said, “this is a reminder that the way this country came into being with the will of people, in the same manner, decisions regarding its fate will also be made through ballot.”
He stressed the right of elected representatives to legislate for welfare of the people who have empowered them through their votes.
“It is heartening that the new generation of Pakistan is imbibed with the love of the country and is filled with the zeal to sincerely work for progress and its development,” he said.
The president, however, said that it is necessary that “we should educate our children of the need for the creation of Pakistan and the sacrifices rendered to achieve it.”
On economic and social issues, he said: “The economic problems being faced by Pakistan and the complex issues confronting it can only be overcome if we follow the teachings of the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal in their true spirit.”
Speaking about Kashmir, the president said that Pakistani people remember the people of Kashmir and their historic sacrifices.
“Pakistan will continue to provide its political and moral support to resolve the Kashmir issue under United Nations resolutions,” he said.
The president also called upon the international community to raise its voice to secure the Kashmiri people their due rights.
Pakistan began its Independence Day celebrations by hoisting the national flag at all important public and private buildings, and with ceremonies in cities across the country.
The day of festivities began with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital, Islamabad, and 21-gun salutes in all four provincial capitals.
Change-of-guard ceremonies were held at the mausoleums of Muhammad Ali Jinnah – founder of Pakistan – and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore, respectively.
At Wagah border crossing between Pakistan and India, Pakistan Rangers officials exchanged sweets with Indian Border Security Force personnel in a goodwill gesture.
In his separate message, caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk said that August 14 reminds the nation of the epic democratic struggle of “our forefathers for securing a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent where they could fashion their lives according to their religious, cultural and social values.”
He said that Muhammad Ali Jinnah had envisioned a democratic, tolerant and progressive Pakistan where every citizen could use his or her faculties to the fullest and could reap the benefits of socio-economic progress.
“Let us on this day rededicate ourselves to those ideals and also to reassess to what extent we have been able to achieve those ideals,” he said.
The prime minister said that an unwavering commitment to the ideals of the Quaid and the principle of ‘Unity, Faith and Discipline’ would help Pakistan overcome its challenges.
“Let us on this day also pay our tributes to our heroes and to all those who have put their heart and soul toward ensuring that our freedom is not marred by any internal or external factors,” he said.
President’s message on Independence Day: ‘Decisions to be made through ballot’
President’s message on Independence Day: ‘Decisions to be made through ballot’
- At Wagah border crossing between Pakistan and India, Pakistan Rangers exchanged sweets with Indian Border Security Forces
- The day of festivities began with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital, Islamabad, and 21-gun salutes in all four provincial capitals
Pakistan terms climate change, demographic pressures as ‘pressing existential risks’
- Pakistan has suffered frequent climate change-induced disasters, including floods this year that killed over 1,000
- Pakistan finmin highlights stabilization measures at Doha Forum, discusses economic cooperation with Qatar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday described climate change and demographic pressures as “pressing existential risks” facing the country, calling for urgent climate financing.
The finance minister was speaking as a member of a high-level panel at the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum, which is being held from Dec. 6–7 in the Qatari capital. Aurangzeb was invited as a speaker on the discussion titled: ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA.’
“He reaffirmed that while Pakistan remained vigilant in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, the more pressing existential risks were climate change and demographic pressures,” the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has suffered repeated climate disasters in recent years, most notably the 2022 super-floods that submerged one-third of the country, displaced millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses.
This year’s floods killed over 1,000 people and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. Scientists say Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Aurangzeb has previously said climate change and Pakistan’s fast-rising population are the only two factors that can hinder the South Asian country’s efforts to become a $3 trillion economy in the future.
The finance minister noted that this year’s floods in Pakistan had shaved at least 0.5 percent off GDP growth, calling for urgent climate financing and investment in resilient infrastructure.
When asked about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and capability to absorb external shocks, Aurangzeb said Islamabad had rebuilt fiscal buffers. He pointed out that both the primary fiscal balance and current account had returned to surplus, supported significantly by strong remittance inflows of $18–20 billion annually from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.
Separately, Aurangzeb met his Qatari counterpart Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties, particularly by maximizing opportunities created through the newly concluded GCC–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade flows, and deepening energy cooperation, including long-term LNG collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
The two also discussed collaboration on digital infrastructure, skills development and regulatory reform. They agreed to establish structured mechanisms to continue joint work in trade diversification, technology, climate resilience, and investment facilitation, the finance ministry said.
