Dubai: Education is the basis for transforming Pakistan into a leading nation in the world, Pakistani expats heard as they celebrated the 78th Pakistan National Day in Dubai on Friday.
The comment came during a celebration at the consulate general of Pakistan in Dubai, where a large gathering of Pakistanis from all walks of life listened to speeches, chanted patriotic slogans, waved their country’s flag, and enjoyed refreshments and festivities.
In his address to the gathering, Brigadier (Retd) Syed Javed Hassan, Pakistani consul general in Dubai, said in order to elevate the standing of Pakistan as one of the foremost nations of the world, the emphasis must be placed on education.
His remarks followed a flag hoisting ceremony at the consulate; similar scenes unfolded at the Pakistani embassy in Abu Dhabi, and various Pakistani associations in the UAE.
At the embassy, Ambassador of Pakistan Moazzam Ahmad Khan, hoisted the flag in the morning, with community members cheering.
In Dubai at the consulate, Hassan also said celebrating the Pakistan National Day was a national duty, especially for expats living outside Pakistan. He paid tributes to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
National Day speeches by Pakistan’s leaders were also read out during the ceremony. For the first time, a UAE military contingent participated in the Pakistan National Day parade in Islamabad.
Pakistan National Day is celebrated to mark the Lahore Resolution on March 23 each year. The Lahore Resolution, also known as the Pakistan Resolution, which was passed on March 23, 1940, is regarded as a key turning point in the struggle for an independent state, which later was named Pakistan.
At a meeting on the day, Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, then under British rule, formally demanded a separate homeland for themselves.
