RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in a message on Pakistan Day, has urged the nation to recapture the spirit of the Pakistan Movement … to make Pakistan an impregnable fortress, both physically and spiritually. Given national unity and dedication to the goals of a democratic, progressive society, he said, there is a solid base for optimism that the range of our advance will be as wide as its pace will be brisk.

He said: “We are commemorating Pakistan Day today in a spirit of resolute faith in the nation’s destiny. … The nation has shown that it is not going to succumb to divisive forces nor tolerate the cult of violence which those forces would like to let loose in Pakistan. …

“All provinces … are participating equally in … economic development. … This is not to say Pakistan has escaped the effects of global inflation and recession. The nature of our economy and the size of our resources do not permit … insulation from a volatile situation which is causing havoc in the plans of the poorer countries. … Let us not forget that our elders strove arduously ... under the dynamic leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam to translate a vision … into an everlasting reality.”

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2025