ISLAMABAD: We have passed from darkness through fire into light, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said in his Independence Day message to the nation. At the same time, he cautioned the nation against succumbing to internal strife, whether provincial, sectarian or linguistic. Today, more than ever, national unity has become the inescapable condition of our survival, he said.

The Prime Minister referred to his recent tours of the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan and said the people of these two provinces, like those of Punjab and Sind, were dedicated whole-heartedly to the unity of Pakistan. I look forward to the future of Pakistan with great hope, he said. Not only the fraternal Muslim countries, but all peace-loving powers, great and small, are committed to our territorial and political independence. ...

Twenty-seven years ago the campaign of the Muslims of the sub-continent for freedom ... and their rejection of a subservient role led to the establishment of Pakistan. Political sovereignty, however, is but a condition for achieving economic freedom, for releasing the people from parochial and sectarian prejudices and for striving towards larger social and cultural goals.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2024