The Defence of Pakistan Day commemorates the sacrifices of the valiant officers and soldiers of the three services of the Pakistan Armed Forces for the Defence of Pakistan.  All our members of the Senate Defence and Defence Production Committee join in saluting the heroic defenders of Pakistan, and we have taken the initiatives to start the day with a visit to the grave of one of Pakistan’s brave national heroes, Capt. Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) at his final resting place in Swabi.

The defence of the Motherland is not just a military undertaking but it has to be a national effort where all segments of society play their due role directly or indirectly in support of the armed forces, as they perform their constitutional duty of protecting Pakistan.  It is in this context that we would like to emphasize the role of Parliament and the Defence and Defence Production Committee of the Senate of Pakistan as the first line of defence to provide a conducive environment for the armed forces in performing their professional functions.  And the Senate Defence and Defence Production Committee will continue to serve as a bridge between the Khaki and the Mufti so that national harmony and unity becomes the basis of a strong national defence. The Armed Forces also need the support of all the political forces in their quest to uphold the vision for Pakistan, that the Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, strived for, namely, a democratic, Islamic, progressive and tolerant welfare state for all its citizens.

On the occasion of the Defence of Pakistan Day, we wish to assure the families of all those officers and soldiers martyred in the defence of the country that their loved ones have not been forgotten as they would live eternally in the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan for they made the ultimate sacrifice so that we all can live as free citizens of a free country.