JEDDAH — Pakistanis celebrated Pakistan Independence Day with national zeal and fervor here. Consul General of Pakistan Shehryar Akbar Khan raised the Pakistani flag to mark the day in the presence of a large number of members of the Pakistani community who arrived from different parts of Jeddah to participate in the event at the premises of the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah on Wednesday. The National Anthem was played while the National Flag was being raised. Later addressing the gathering, the consul general said that this day reminds us of the struggle undertaken by the Muslims of the subcontinent under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal for a separate homeland where we live our lives with freedom and dignity. The Consul General lauded the role of the Pakistani community in the development of Pakistan as well as Saudi Arabia. He said that the Pakistani community living in Saudi Arabia is a source of strength and acts as a bridge between the two countries. He said that the recent visit by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to Pakistan had opened a new era of friendship with Saudi Arabia. The Consul General said that recent developments in Kashmir have exposed Indian prejudice toward Kashmir and Kashmiris and have put regional security at risk. We must not forget our Kashmiri brethren on this auspicious day who are facing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir, he added. He said that we would stand by the Kashmiri people and provide them with diplomatic and moral support. The Consul General thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and the Saudi government for hosting the Pakistani community and providing them with an opportunity to play a constructive role in the development of both countries. Earlier Fouzia Fayyaz (Consul) and Majid Hussain Memon (Consul) read out the messages of the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the occasion.
