RIYADH — The creation of Pakistan under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam was one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th century, Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq has said while delivering the keynote speech at a function held at the chancery hall of the embassy in Riyadh to mark the 140th birth anniversary of the father of the nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The event was organized by the Pakistan Embassy with the collaboration of Bazm-e-Riaz, a leading social, cultural and literary organization. Bazm's President Tasaduq Gilani chaired the program where Ambassador Haq graced was the chief guest and keynote speaker while Deputy Head of Mission Hassan Wazir was the guest of honor. The program, ably conducted by Bazm's Head of Core Waqar Naseem Wamiq, was attended by embassy staff and prominent personalities of the Pakistani community. Nighat Manzoor, wife of Pakistani ambassador, was also present. "Quaid-e-Azam wanted to see Pakistan as a welfare state and now we can see Pakistan on the road of prosperity with the exemplary CPEC project. As a nation, we should feel proud of our achievements in 70 years since independence. The guiding principles of Quaid-e-Azam — unity, faith and discipline — are a source of inspiration for all of us and we can achieve our goals by following his teachings," Ambassador Haq said. "People of subcontinent were blessed with the great visionary poet, philosopher and scholar Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Pakistan was the dream of Iqbal fulfilled by Jinnah," Haq added. Bazm President Gilani in his speech highlighted the key messages of continuous struggle, Qur'an as way of governance, welfare of poor, hope, courage and confidence in a thoughtful and effective manner. He stressed the need of acting upon Quaid's sayings "within our own domains and capacities and play our positive role in building the nation and developing the country." He further said that there was no better way of valuable contribution to the national prosperity than acting on Quaid's unique message of unity, faith and discipline. Earlier the program began with a welcome note by Head of Chancery Shah Faisal Kakkar and recitation of the Holy Qur'an by Qari Naimatullah, which was followed by a soulful Naat by Hafiz Farhan, a grade-10 student of Pakistan International School, Riyadh. Kakkar welcomed the guests and congratulated all Pakistanis on the 140th birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam. Bazm's senior executive Naqi Hassan was at his best when he presented the famous patriotic song, "Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai". Bazm's members Ahtesham Shabbir highlighted Quaid's life journey, RJ Fawad Ali paid rich poetic tribute to Jinnah in his oratory style, and Arsalan Baloch presented "Youn dee Humain Aazadi", a famous poem eulogizing Quaid-e-Azam in sensational voice. An emerging singer Faez Chaudhary received a huge round of applause from the audience when he presented his upcoming patriotic song, which is to be formally released on Aug. 14, 2017, on the occasion of Pakistan's Independence Day. Young and talented Maria Khan called upon to the stage from the audience to present a national song. Bazm's senior adviser Riaz Rathore proposed the vote of thanks. "In order to strengthen the nation to face the various contemporary challenges we should follow the teachings of Quaid-e-Azam," he said. The program ended with prayers for the prosperity and betterment of Pakistan by Muhammad Tanveer, principal of Pakistan International School English Section (PISES).
