Defence And Martyrs Day Celebrated

To pay homage to the valiant soldiers and officers of Pakistan Armed Forces, a Defence and Martyrs day reception was held here at Pakistan High Commission on Wednesday evening.

LONDON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Sep, 2018 ) :To pay homage to the valiant soldiers and officers of Pakistan Armed Forces, a Defence and Martyrs day reception was held here at Pakistan High Commission on Wednesday evening.

The reception was attended among others by Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Muhammad Ayub, UK Air Vice Marshal Andrew Turner, ACDS (Ops), members of the Defence and Services Attache community of friends of Pakistan, diplomats, British Pakistani Community, officials of Pakistan High Commission and veterans of Pakistan Armed Forces.

Welcoming the guests, Defence and Naval Adviser to Pakistan High Commissioner Commodore,Rab Nawaz expressed his profound gratitude to all the participants for sparing their valuable time and being with here this evening to celebrate Defence and Martyrs Day of Pakistan.

He said though this day was traditionally celebrated on 6th of September every year but "we made a conscious decision to defer it for couple of weeks to ensure that most of our honourable guests present here today are back from the summer vacations".

Highlighting the importance of the day Pakistan's Defence and Military Adviser for High Commission said that historically speaking it was on 6thof September 1965 when Pakistan was faced with an external aggression that threatened its independence and sovereignty.

He said that the mere fact that the enemy was far more superior in terms of its military might did not deter the people of Pakistan and its Armed Forces.

The people of Pakistan, he said demonstrated an unprecedented national unity and stood firmly behind their valiant Armed Forces who displayed unwavering bravery and courage against heavy odds and defended their motherland.

"It was undoubtedly one of the finest moments in Pakistan's history and something that we as a nation continue to remember and cherish. On this day, we pay tribute to all those soldiers, sailors and airmen who laid down their lives. It is because of their supreme sacrifices and unshakeable determination that we live in safety and dignity today. It is indeed a great honour for us that some of those veterans who valiantly fought during 1965 war are present amongst us today", he remarked.

Rab Nawaz said that owing to its unique geo-strategic location and the geo-political rivalries that unfolded in its neighbourhood few decades ago, the people of Pakistan have suffered immensely because of terrorism and violent extremism, which were in no way an indigenous phenomenon.

"Understanding and defeating this kind of amorphous threat, which played on people's ideological beliefs was not easy. It was a struggle which could not be carried on in the kinetic domain only but the one which required challenging the misguided and distorted ideology of these forces of darkness", he said.

He further said that when Pakistan's Armed Forces embarked on their struggle to defeat these forces of darkness, there was no military textbook to seek guidance from.

"They had to fight their way through the most inhospitable terrain and had to learn lessons from every single kinetic action that they undertook.

In the process they devised their own strategy and developed own tactics respecting local culture and avoiding collateral damage", he added.

Rab Nawaz said that Pakistan's struggle and commitment in fighting terrorism and violent extremism is unparalleled both in terms of the successes it has achieved and the sacrifices it has made.

"No other country in the world has lost as many soldiers and civilians in its fight against terrorism. The economic loss suffered by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism in the last 16 years far exceeds $120 billion. While we have eliminated organized presence of terrorists strongholds in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas and re-established the writ of government in the entire region, the struggle continues to date".

He said that the fatalities due to terrorism today have been brought down to 5% of the staggering loss of life that the country suffered in 2009. "But we are committed to go further and the ongoing Operation Radd ul Fasaad is aimed at localizing and eliminating the remnants and sleeping cells of these terrorists elements through Intelligence Based Operations", he said.

The Defence and Military Adviser reminded that it was only couple of days back that "we lost seven soldiers including an officer in one such operation. Notwithstanding what we have sacrificed as a nation and what we are committed to do in this fight against terrorism, unfortunately there are people who paddle an insensitive and misleading narrative, which blames Pakistan of being selective and not doing enough.

"It simply defies logic and common sense to say the least", he remarked.

Rab Nawaz said "Again in our fight against terrorism, we were fortunate to have the resolute and determined support from the people of Pakistan who over the period of time became fully aware of the poisonous ideology of terrorists, which had nothing to with islam or its teachings. It was this whole of the nation support which helped Pakistan's Armed Forces and other security agencies achieve the kind of successes which are unique in many respects".

Highlighting Pakistan UK defence relations, he mentioned of the historic bond between the Armed Forces of Pakistan and the United Kingdom and appreciate the support that we receive from the United Kingdom in terms of training and capacity building of our Armed Forces.

"The support in Counter IED capability that we have received from the UK has helped us save hundreds if not thousands of precious lives during the war against terrorism. We remain extremely thankful for this support".

He said, "I once again salute the heroes who rendered sacrifices in Pakistan's fight against external aggression and the ongoing struggle against the menace of terrorism and violent extremism.

The people of Pakistan and its Armed Forces are committed to the defence of our motherland and are determined to make Pakistan one of the greatest nations of the world in accordance with the vision of our leader Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah".