Sept 6 day of defeat for India, defence for Pakistan: Pervaiz

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday said that September 6 is the day of aggression for India and the Day of Defence for Pakistan and with the Grace of Allah, it became the day of victory for Pakistan and the day of defeat for India.
The aggressor could not achieve its target as Pakistan armed forces and the entire nation repulsed the attack by offering supreme sacrifices.
He was addressing a ceremony to observe one-minute silence to pay homage to the martyrs and Ghazis of the September 1965 War on the occasion of golden jubilee of Pakistan’s Defence Day at the PTV headquarters here. He said the best tribute that the nation can pay to the heroes of 1965 War, would be to make Pakistan a peaceful, secure and developed state.
He said the nation today renewed the pledge that it would ensure the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the country and make Pakistan an economic power.
The minister said that today’s war was a continuation of the 1965 War as the target of the enemy was to destabilise Pakistan and halt its economic progress. When it could not achieve the target through the barrel of the gun, it has been trying to achieve its nefarious designs by destabilising it through terrorist activities in Pakistan, he added.
Before the 1965 War, he said, Pakistan’s economy was considered to be one of the better economies of the world as many mega projects including Mangla and Tarbela water reservoirs were built in that era. However, he said after that war, the economy could not retain that rate of growth and progress as India continued it’s unholy efforts to destabilise Pakistan.
Pervaiz Rashid said that September 6 is an important day for both India and Pakistan as both remember it in their own way.
He said that India couldn’t hide the fact that on that day it had carried out an act of blatant aggression against Pakistan. The then Indian prime minister Shastri had publicly said almost two months before September that India would select place and time of its choice to attack Pakistan, he added.
He said that an Indian Army general had also claimed to hold a ceremony at the Lahore Gymkhana in the evening, but with the grace of Almighty Allah, the arrogance of Indians had to bite the dust and all their attacks were thwarted by the valiant armed forces and the entire nation.
The minister said the entire nation stood behind the armed forces of the country and helped it repulse the enemy’s attack.
Appreciating the role of the media during the fateful war, he said that Radio Pakistan and Press Information Department (PID) played a very important role during the time of the war and provided correct information to the masses.
Pervaiz Rashid said the entire nation also pays tributes to the poets, writers, singers and musicians who contributed to boost the morale of the armed forces and the nation.
He said that our industrialists, traders, shopkeepers and street vendors also deserve appreciation as they ensured that supply chain was not broken during the war and items of daily use were available in abundant quantity. The ceremonies organised by Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage on the occasion of 50th anniversary of Defence Day of Pakistan became a practical example and expression of national integrity, unity and renewal of the pledge of defending the nation against any aggression.
The ceremonies, held at the PTV Headquarters and its centres in provincial capitals, were attended by ministers, opposition members of National and Provincial Assemblies and Senate and journalists, writers, artists and notables from other walks of life.
The ceremony at PTV Headquarters Islamabad was attended by Minister for IB&NH Senator Pervaiz Rashid, PPP Senator Saeed Ghani and officers and staff of the Ministry of IB&NH and its attached departments.
The ceremony, organised at PTV Peshawar Center, was attended among others by Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani and PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar and officers and staff of the Ministry of IB&NH.
The PTV Lahore Center ceremony was attended by PML-N leader and Punjab government’s spokesman Zaeem Qadri, Parliamentary Secretary Information and Broadcasting Mohsin Ranjha, MNA Waheed Alam Khan, PTI MPA Sadia Sohail Rana, PML-N MPA Mary Gill and PTI leader Muhammad Madni and officers and staff of the Ministry of IB&NH, attended the ceremony.
The Quetta ceremony was attended among others by provincial Minister for Information and Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and officers and staff of the Ministry of IB&NH.
The Defence Day ceremony in Karachi was attended by PML-N Senator Nihal Hashmi, Senator Ashok Kumar and officers and staff of the IB&NH Ministry. In all these ceremonies, journalists, writers, artists and people from all walks of life were also present.
The participants of all the ceremonies observed one-minute silence to pay tributes to the martyrs and Ghazis of the 1965 War. After one-minute silence, national anthem was broadcast on PTV and Radio Pakistan.
Glowing tributes were paid to armed forces personnel who valiantly defended the country and sacrificed their lives when the nation called them to defend the country against enemy’s aggression.