KARACHI: Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan gave Pakistan a clenched fist as its national symbol while addressing a Defence Day crowd of 150,000 persons assembled before his residence … on Friday [July 27]. Declaring that “as long as the world exists, Pakistan shall also exist” he said: “If … our enemies are cherishing a hope that eight crore Pakistanis would surrender to aggression … it is their wishful thinking.”

The Defence Day … was observed with ... enthusiasm. All markets remained closed and special prayers for the preservation of the country’s independence were offered … after Juma prayers. — Staff correspondent

[Meanwhile, according to news agencies in Teheran,] The influential Iranian divine, Sayid Abol Qassem Ayatullah Kashani, has told Pandit Nehru that he “deeply deplored”, as nothing short of a definite disaster, the existence of differences between Pakistan and Bharat… . He said in a cable to the Bharati Prime Minister that “it was least expected” of the disciples of Mr Gandhi, that they should resort to force against Pakistan… . He said by doing this they were reducing to “nought” the fruits of Mr Gandhi’s relentless struggle... .

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2026