Occasion to celebrate

On the auspicious occasion of Pakistan's 62nd Independence Day it is only natural that the entire nation should thank Allah and celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner. Therefore my solemn greetings to every citizen of the state regardless of colour, creed, religion, race or part of the country which happen to be administered by the central or provincial governments including tribal areas.

The federation faced numerous challenges including three wars with India and the dismemberment of the country in 1971, three prolonged periods of martial law under Ayub, Yahya and Zia and the recent military rule by General Musharraf. The new parliament as well as the present government headed by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani continue to have working relationship with the President in spite of differences over his future role within the coalition. Similarly, the coalition partners also have differences with regard to the restoration of the deposed judges. The readers of this column may well ask "what have these issues got to do with our 62nd Independence Day on which this scribe is expressing his views". Let me explain.