Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif marked Sept. 6, Defense Day, on Tuesday by calling on all Pakistanis to “summon the spirit of 1965” and unite in the face of prevailing challenges facing the country, including unprecedented floods.
“The whole nation comes together today in paying homage to our martyrs and Ghazis who put their lives on the line to defend the motherland against the Indian aggression,” he wrote on Twitter. “Together, our armed forces and people thwarted the Indian machinations to undermine our territorial integrity,” he added.
“As Pakistan grapples with the historic floods and other challenges, we need to summon the spirit of 1965,” he continued. “National unity is our greatest strength. Anyone intending to hurt the bond between our armed forces and people is not a friend of Pakistan. Let us fortify this bond of one nation,” he added.
The premier’s reference to the “bond” between the armed forces and the people was likely a veiled reference to a speech by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Faisalabad on Sunday, in which he had alleged the ruling coalition was trying to appoint a “favorite” Army chief. He had also alleged that a “strong and patriotic” Army chief would not allow leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to hide their allegedly looted wealth abroad.
The statement has triggered severe criticism, with the ruling coalition accusing the ousted prime minister of trying to foster enmity between the public and the armed forces. The military’s media wing, in a rare rejoinder, also said the armed forces were “aghast at the defamatory and uncalled for” statement about the Army’s senior leadership, describing it as an attempt to discredit and undermine the senior leadership of the Pakistan Army.
Defense Day
Participating in a ceremony at the Pakistan Monument to pay tribute to martyred soldiers, the prime minister said the entire nation saluted the nation’s martyrs for their courage and defiance to defeat each and every assault on the motherland. “Today, in the wake of disastrous floods in different parts of the country, the nation once again stands united alongside its armed forces to fight and recover from the disaster,” he said.
Statements marking Defense Day were also issued by President Arif Alvi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. In a brief message issued by the ISPR, the Army chief said Sept. 6 symobolized the “unwavering resolve” of the armed forces to defend the motherland against all odds. “The nation salutes our heroes,” he was quoted as saying. “We owe our freedom and peace to unprecedented sacrifices of martyrs to keep the flag high,” he added.
The president, meanwhile, said Sept. 6 was a reminder of the unprecedented courage and matchless valor displayed by the soldiers and officers of the armed forces. “On this day, 57 years ago, we thwarted the evil design of the enemy and defeated it on all fronts,” he said. “In that testing time, not only the armed forces of Pakistan fought fearlessly on ground, in air and in waters, but each and every citizen came out to defend and safeguard the motherland,” he said, adding Defense Day was a symbol of “unwavering national resolve, absolute patriotism, profound professionalism and supreme sacrifice.”
Stressing that Pakistan was committed to peace, he said this should not be misconstrued as a weakness. “We are well aware of our national as well as international obligations,” he said.
This year’s Defense Day celebrations have been muted in comparison to previous years to stress the calamity of nationwide floods, which have displaced over 33 million people and left more than 1,300 dead so far. An annual military event was cancelled last week, with the ISPR announcing this was done in solidarity with flood victims.