NEW YORK: The national flag was hoisted at the Pakistan house in New York Tuesday to mark the 66th anniversary of the country's establishment as an independent, sovereign nation.
As the national anthem was played, Pakistan's Consul General Faqir Asif Hussain and the acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, raised the flag to the mast before a gathering of officers and staff of the Pakistan Mission to the UN and the Consulate General in New York.
The proceedings began with recitation from the Holy Quran. Consul General Asif Hussain read out Independence Day messages of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. In a speech, the Consul General paid tribute to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah for his sterling leadership, saying Pakistan was created to ensure religious freedom, social and economic quality for all its citizens irrespective of their creed, sex, sect or religion.
Asif Hussain called for renewing the pledge to work for those ideals and to come up to the Quaid's expectations.
"We have come a long way since our independence and are proud to be a progressive, democratic and forward-looking Islamic country." Pakistan, he said, was established after a long and tireless struggle and "we must not forget the great scarifies made by our forefathers" in establishing the country.
He said it was "our responsibility to make Pakistan an enlightened, tolerant, progressive and welfare state".
The Consul General called for unity to meets the challenges Pakistan was facing and to build a strong and prosperous Pakistan.
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