Pakistan Day Celebrated In Ankara

Press Release

Ankara, 23rd March 2024

PAKISTAN DAY CELEBRATED IN ANKARA

The National Day of Pakistan was celebrated with traditional zeal and fervor at the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara. Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkiye, Dr. Yousaf Junaid hoisted the Pakistan flag to the tune of the national anthem in the presence of distinguished guests and Pakistani community. Special messages from the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan were read out on the occasion.

Addressing the audience, Ambassador Junaid underscored the historical significance of Pakistan Day. He emphasized that Pakistan Day served as a reminder of the great sacrifices made by the founding fathers to establish an independent homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. He stated that it was a day to pay tribute to the founding leaders of Pakistan by renewing our commitment to the real objectives of the creation of Pakistan. We must reaffirm our resolve to make Pakistan a trivet of peace, progress and human dignity, he added.

Ambassador Junaid highlighted the fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye emphasizing that our brotherly relations went back centuries. He thanked the Turkish leadership and people for sending congratulatory messages and joining Pakistan Day celebrations by illuminating bridges on the Bosphorus linking Asia with Europe in the colour of Pakistan’s flag.

March 23rd is a landmark day in the history of Pakistan. On this day in 1940, Lahore Resolution, which later came to be known as Pakistan Resolution, demanding a separate state for the Muslims of the subcontinent, was adopted. The dream envisaged on 23rd March 1940 became a reality on 14th August 1947 in the form of Pakistan.

***(5/2024)***

in 2024

# 23rd March

Message from Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Pakistan Day (23rd March 2024)

January 5, 2024

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DR. ARIF ALVI ON THE OCCASION OF THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION DAY

Every year, on the 5th of January, we renew our support for the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations.

The right to self-determination is a cardinal principle of international law, upheld in numerous core United Nations Treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. For decades, it has been reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on self-determination. However, the last 76 years of India’s occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are a sad story of repression of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

India is trying to consolidate its occupation of IIOJK. The Indian Supreme Court’s judgement of 11 December 2023 on the status of this disputed territory is the latest step in this direction. India is trying to subjugate the Kashmiris through such oppressive tactics further. It continues to deny their inalienable right to self-determination and live with freedom and dignity.

Today’s commemoration is aimed at reminding the international community of its responsibility towards the oppressed Kashmiri people. The United Nations must honour the commitments that it made 75 years ago and support the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.

Pakistan remains determined to play its role in supporting the right to self-determination of Kashmiris through a free and impartial plebiscite as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Our strong and steadfast moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people will continue till the realisation of this inalienable right.

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The Embassy of

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Ankara, Türkiye