Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, said India misinterpreted Islamabad’s desire for peace as weakness during a ceremony held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington on Saturday to mark the completion of one year of the historic Marka-e-Haq victory.
Addressing the ceremony, Sheikh said that during the Marka-e-Haq, Pakistani forces, civil and military leadership and the entire nation had proven the greatness of Pakistan’s geographical and territorial importance, integrity and national pride.
He said that Pakistan Armed Forces, civil and military leadership and the entire nation had demonstrated greatness in safeguarding the geographical and regional importance, sovereignty and national dignity of the country during ‘Marka-e-Haq’.
The ambassador said that Pakistan was located in one of the most important and sensitive geographical regions of the world, adding that Quaid-e-Azam’s far-sighted vision predicted that Pakistan would become a central state globally, a prediction which he said was increasingly becoming a reality.
Sheikh said Pakistan was established to protect the honor and dignity of Muslims of the subcontinent and the nation would not allow any compromise on its dignity and honor.
He said today’s treatment of Muslims in India reinforces the foresight and rightness of the decision to establish Pakistan.
The ambassador said that the Pakistani nation had fought for its survival with resilience and courage since the inception of the country, adding that history had proven that global security was linked to Pakistan’s security.
He said Pakistan had played a positive and effective role over the last eight decades on political, diplomatic and international fronts.
Referring to efforts aimed at peace amid tensions between the United States and Iran, he said Pakistan’s role reflected its positive and recognized diplomatic traditions and history.
The ambassador said Pakistan had always played a key role in global and regional peace and added that India had paid a heavy price for mistaking Pakistan’s desire for peace as weakness.
He also thanked US President Donald Trump for playing a positive role in efforts towards a ceasefire between the two nuclear powers.
Sheikh said the events, which lasted 88 hours, revived the spirit of Pakistani identity among overseas Pakistanis across the world.
He stressed that putting aside differences and demonstrating unity for the security, reconstruction and development of the country was a national responsibility.
The ambassador said the philosophy of “Bunyanum Marsoos” was linked to economic development.
