President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday paid tribute to the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 74th death Anniversary, saying his untiring struggle, sagacity and leadership qualities led the Muslims to secure their rights in the sub-continent.

In separate statements, they said the dream of a sovereign state for the Muslims of India would not have come true without the dynamic leadership of Jinnah.

“On this day, we also remember Quaid for his struggle, for giving us a country, and pledge to focus on his advice for infusing unity, faith and discipline in our ranks and files,” the president said.

He said Allama Iqbal, the poet and philosopher of the East, dreamt a separate homeland for Muslims of India and Quaid-e-Azam turned the dream into reality.

President Alvi said that brotherhood, equality and fraternity of man were “all the basic points of our religion, culture and civilisation. And we fought for Pakistan because there was a danger of denial of these human rights in this sub-continent.”

“We are now all Pakistanis, not, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else.”

He also urged people to pledge to follow the “golden principles of unity, faith and discipline” as advised by Jinnah “to make Pakistan an ideal Islamic welfare state where Islamic principles of equality, freedom, justice and democracy are to be upheld”.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said there was a need for the nation to emulate Jinnah’s everlasting principles of faith, unity and discipline to face the current challenges.

“The country gripped with financial difficulties was also braving the natural calamity in form of floods,” he added.

The prime minister expressed confidence that the country would achieve discipline that would not only lead them to overcome financial and post-flood challenges, but also help it achieve the destination of Quaid’s great Pakistan.

The path might be filled with difficulties, but the road to the destination is not impossible, he added.