As Pakistan celebrates Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's 141st birthday, President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi encouraged national unity for progress and prosperity, Radio Pakistan reported.

The day began with a Quran Khawani at the Quaid's mausoleum in Karachi, where a change of guard ceremony took place and Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul cadets mounted the ceremonial guard duty.

Commandant PMA Kakul Maj Gen Akhter Nawaz Satti, who was the chief guest on the occasion, inspected the parade. He also paid his respects at the mausoleum, where he laid a floral wreath and offered fateha.

President Mamnoon, in his message to the nation, said that the ideal way to pay tribute to Jinnah was not to hesitate in making sacrifices for the development and prosperity of the country.

The president said that the relevance of the Quaid’s teachings and thought, particularly his "golden principles" of unity, faith and discipline, is increasing with every passing day.

PM Abbasi in his message said that the day held special significance for the nation, "as it is a day for us to reiterate the resolve to revive the Quaid's thoughts and move forward with his ideas".

On this day, PM Abbasi said that the nation should look back on how much we have succeeded in achieving the objectives set by Jinnah.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his statement said that Jinnah strived to uphold human rights, social justice and equality which ultimately "constituted motivation for the creation of Pakistan", according to a tweet by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.

Gen Bajwa said that the country can be "kept safe and strong" by following the principles passed on to the nation by the founder.

ISPR also released a song on the occasion of the Quaid's birth to honour the founder of the country: