PM Shehbaz visits Martyrs Monument; says nation stood with armed forces

RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday here said the government and people stood with the armed forces for the stability of Pakistan and for eradicating terrorism from the country.

He was speaking during his visit to the army graveyard where he paid his respects at the Martyrs Monument, laid wreath and offered prayers for the souls of martyrs, the state news agency reported.

Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir were present on the occasion.

The PM said he came to lay wreath as the representative of the nation, adding the flowers laid by him were a mark of respect and homage to the martyrs.

The martyrs – the great sons of the soil laid down their lives to defend every inch of the country and to eliminate terrorism, he remarked. He said these brave martyrs fought the enemy on the snow-capped mountains, in plains and deserts and offered their lives and saved the country from any harm.

Children of these martyrs were orphaned but they saved millions of children of the country from becoming orphans and because of them Pakistan of our Quaid was in safe hands, he continued. He said, “The great sons of the soil remain awake at night to ensure that we sleep peacefully and our businesses and our fields grow and remain green.”

The prime minister said, “Today we salute these great martyrs and we pledge that as a nation we will not forget the incident of May 9 when, unfortunately, an individual lured his rioting gangs, who dishonored the martyrs and ghazis and carried out attacks on the military installations.”

“We promise that these terrorists will be completely annihilated according to the law and these incidents will not be repeated. I salute the great mothers and children of these martyrs.”

The prime minister said the holy Quran stated that “do not call the martyrs dead as they are alive. For Allah they are respectable and should not be dishonored. Those who dishonor the martyrs invite displeasure of Allah and violate injunctions of Quran. They are guilty before people of Pakistan.”

He prayed to Allah Almighty to elevate the ranks of the martyrs in Jannah and give everyone inspiration to follow in their footsteps and to even sacrifice their lives while fulfilling their duties.

He said some elements kept their ego and personal interests even higher above the interest of Pakistan and misled others.

“We beseech Allah to put us on the right path and sustain courage of the jawans and officers of armed forces to preserve stability of Pakistan and eradicate terrorism with all their energies,” he concluded.