View allAll Photos Tagged Quaid
Dennis Quaid kicks off the Napa Valley Film Festival with a performance from his band, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks on November 7, 2017 at Blue Note Napa in Napa, California (Photo by Bob McClenahan for Napa Valley Film Festival)
Diane covered Dennis Quaid and The Sharks with opening act Dan Nelson at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. See the full coverage here theravensview.net/news-%26-reviews/f/dennis-quaid-the-sha...
Please do not use any of Diane’s photos without permission.
©Diane Woodcheke
dwoodcheke@gmail.com
Quaid-e-Azam Library is a library in Lahore, Pakistan. The library is named after Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It is located in Bagh-e-Jinnah, a park previously known as "Lawrence Gardens".
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, addresses a rally at Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum in Karachi in 1969. (Photo courtesy of eBay.)
The rally was held immediately after a protest movement led by leftist students; labour and journalist unions; political parties, including PPP and the National Awami Party (NAP), had forced Pakistan’s first military dictator Ayub Khan, to resign.
Construction of the mausoleum began in the early 1960s and was still underway when the rally was held. Wooden ladders and planks being used for construction purposes were acrobatically utilised by the crowd to gain vantage viewing points on the day of the rally.
A great and auspicious 58th Birthday ceremony of my beloved Quaid Dr.Tahir ul Qadri.Arranged by Mustafavi Students Movement Islamabad at Rawal Lake view
My dear countrymen, my dear friends, my dear students, labourers, peasants, the younger generation, those who fought for Pakistan, the working classes, the labouring classes, those who work with their hands:
I want to tell you that I have come in at a very late hour, at a decisive moment in the history of Pakistan. We are facing the worst crisis in our country’s life a deadly crisis. We have to pick up the pieces, very small pieces but we will make a new Pakistan, a prosperous and progressive Pakistan, a Pakistan free of exploitation, a Pakistan envisaged by the Quaid-i-Azam, a Pakistan for which the Muslims of the Sub-continent sacrificed their lives and their honour in order to build this new land. That Pakistan will come, it is bound to come. This is my faith, and I am confident that with your cooperation, understanding and patience we will emerge as a stronger and a greater state. I have no doubt about it.
Now tonight, I could have spoken from text. I could have said what was written. I want to speak from my heart. I need your cooperation. I am no magician. I am a fallible individual and without your cooperation, I simply cannot succeed. But
with your cooperation, and with your support, I am taller than the Himalayas.
But I must have that cooperation, your cooperation and understanding. You must give me time, my dear countrymen, and I will do my best. Ever since my return I have been working round the clock and that is why I have not been able to prepare a text for this important statement. Nevertheless, I think, I must reach you straightaway and, therefore, I will speak on various matters and I might go from one matter to another and come back to it. But I have some points, some important points, and more will follow. I will not trouble you unnecessarily. I will not like to come on the air or before the television every now and then. I do not want to make frequent appearances but important appearances suddenly. They might interrupt permanent programmes, but I am sure, I will trouble you only, when I want your approval for an important decision because I want to take no decision without your consent.
Under no circumstances, I will bypass the people. Under no circumstances, I will move one step in any direction without your approval. I am not going to waste any time. Every minute is important and time has so far moved against us.
I would have preferred to speak to you in Urdu but I hope an Urdu translation of my speech will follow immediately. I do make speeches in Urdu in my public meetings and now also I might interject in the middle with something in Urdu if necessary. But since this is my first speech and the world is listening, I would like to speak in English for the moment. English is not our language but we have taken no real step to see that it is replaced properly. But these are matters which can follow later. So I speak to you in English, a foreign language, and I am sorry,
I am speaking in a foreign language. The world is listening, the world is watching Pakistan. However, that is not the only reason. I am not very proficient in Urdu. I speak the peoples’ language. Sometime they understand me, sometime they laugh at my mistakes, sometime they joke about it and I am not fluent in it. I
wish I will in due course, if I am still there, make efforts to establish direct contact with you even in these meetings in one of our national languages. But tonight, if you forgive me, I will speak in English.
In the first instance, let me tell you, I wish I were not alive today. Believe me I mean that when I say that. I mean it. Not because the task is difficult but because of certain developments and certain results. I never knew that I will live to see the day when Mr. Jagjivan Ram, the Defence Minister of India, would be saying
what he is saying. But Mr. Jagjivan Ram should know that this is not the end of the world. This is the beginning and he should not gloat over temporary military victory.
In the whole history of the subcontinent from the beginning of the time when Muslims set foot on the sub-continent, from the beginning of the time of Mohammad Bin Qasim, Muslims have faced such difficult situations as we are facing today. But Muslims have a proud heritage in the sub-continent and this is
only the beginning. It is not the end. We might have received reverses, we have received certain reverses, certain important reverses, but this will make us learn, this will make us understand and we will begin anew with confidence with the cooperation of the people. I would speak to you frankly, my dear brothers, my
dear friends, and sisters. I am going to speak to you from my heart and I am speaking without any rancor, without any ill-will, without any bitterness. The past belongs to God, the future belongs to God but let me tell you I am speaking in a broad spirit as a Pakistani believing in a great ideal, in a great concept and I
am not going to indulge in cliché.
I have been summoned by the nation at this critical hour, when we are at the edge of the precipice, to lead the nation as President and CMLA. But there is a difference in the arrangement in the sense that I have been elected by the people. I have not been capriciously thrust upon them. I am speaking to you today as the authentic voice of the people of Pakistan, not by virtue of the office that I hold, but by virtue of the verdict that you gave in the national elections. So there is a
difference. My opponents have said that I have been power-hungry. I am not power-hungry. If I was power-hungry, I would have compromised at Tashkent. I have been five and a half years in a struggle for democracy and it has not been an ordinary struggle. I have been sent to jail. I still have on my back the marks of lathi charges. I was tear-gassed. Five assassination attempts were made on my life. I stood by the people. I was isolated from the ruling Junta, from the bureaucracy, from those who matter in the land. The Press gave all sorts of wrong impressions, they distorted my statements. They went on a great rampage against me and my party only because we were struggling for democracy and social justice. The vested interests pointed all their guns and bayonets at me. They called us Kafirs, the biggest insult that can ever be leveled against a Muslim.
I speak as a Muslim and as a Pakistani. Merely because we wanted to destroy the unmaintainable, abominable status quo. A coterie of individuals tried to prevent the people of Pakistan from achieving their ends. See the situation today and look at the results. But we have to fight and face this calumny for the truth which was bound to come, in any case if not today then tomorrow.
So my dear friends, my dear countrymen, I speak to you today as the people’s representative and I can assure solemnly, this is my pledge to you, that I will restore democracy. I would not like to see Martial Law to remain one day longer than necessary, one minute more than necessary, one second more than
necessary. I want the flowering of our society. I want initiative in the hands of our people. To breathe, I want suffocation to end. I know what it means under dictatorship that decides fundamental matters in its own manner. This is not the way civilized countries are run. Civilization means Civil Rule. Civilization means
institutions, civilization means democracy. Every institution of Pakistan has either been destroyed or threatened and that is why we face this state today. We have to rebuild democratic institutions, we have to rebuild confidence. We have
to rebuild hope in the future. We have to rebuild a situation in which the common man, the poor man in the street, can tell me to go to hell. “I do not believe you and I do not like you.” We have to make our Government accountable. Why we faced this situation? Because there has been no accountability, without accountability, you can achieve no results. So believe me
that I have every intention to restore democracy, to give a constitution to the people of Pakistan, to give the rule of law to the people. I intend to do it. I will not like to see the nation under clouds of capricious will of any individual. We have suffered too much for it and we cannot suffer any longer for it. But because
we are in such a terrible situation, you will have to give some time to me in order to move towards that direction. I have made certain promises. These promises will be fulfilled. And one of these promises is the restoration of democracy. So democracy will be restored and a constitution will be given to the people. I am not giving the schemes. I am not going to address you every four months, to give you one scheme after another. I will address you whenever necessary and whenever we move forward in the direction of democracy which is going to be soon.
Now my heart and the hearts of my friends are with our brethren in East Pakistan and our people in East Pakistan. East Pakistan is an inseparable and indissoluble part of Pakistan. The heroic people of East Pakistan had a great role to play in the creation of Pakistan. Without their contribution, there would have
been no Pakistan. They are the majority of our land and I am fully convinced that they want to remain with us. I appeal to them not to forget us but forgive us if they are angry with us.
I want to tell our gallant armed forces that have fought in East Pakistan that our hearts are with you. Please remain brave as you have remained brave in the past.
Please endure the momentary difficulties. We will have sleepless nights. We will not rest for a moment till you have redeemed your honour. You have relations here. You have relations in places where my party has secured overwhelming majority of the votes. You are closer to us. Be courageous. Our hearts and souls
are with you and these are not empty words. You are brave people. You are valiant people. We stand by you. Please do not think that we have abandoned you. We will stand by you. We are with you. If you will go down, we all will go down together. There is no question of your going down without us. Please hold on. Please remember my words and have this message carried in your hearts that we are doing everything in our power. I have just taken over, but I will see that there is an honorable return to normal conditions and that you are not humiliated. Your humiliation is our humiliation and we will bend backwards to
see to it that not a moment is wasted for the correct results. I do not want to spell them out because that may give indication to other people.
To those who have stood by the Pakistan Ideology, I say stand by it, fight heroically because Pakistan Ideology is bound to prevail with the passage of each day. Indian presence is being felt every moment. You will see that Pakistan Ideology is truthful and a faithful reflection of the Muslim Bengal. Muslim Bengal will always be a part of Pakistan. Muslim Bengal suffered more than any other part of the sub-continent under Hindu domination. Muslim Bengal’s character will always remain and we will see to it that Muslim Bengal will remain a part of Pakistan.
Coming to the question of our relations between East and West Pakistan, and here I say, mistakes have been made. We have made those mistakes. Where and when they were made, I cannot go into that matter at this moment. But if
mistakes have been made that does not mean that the country should be dismembered, that the country should be destroyed by another country by physical force and physical power. This is unprecedented in the annals of history. To rectify and make amends for our mistakes, I seek an opportunity to meet the
leaders of Bengal and the people of Bengal to arrive at a settlement between East and West Pakistan without foreign interference and certainly without foreign occupation. We must be given that opportunity so that we may arrive at a
settlement between two brothers who have always lived together for the last twenty-four years and under certain conditions will continue to live together for all times. But we must be given an opportunity to negotiate a settlement between
ourselves within the concept of one united Pakistan. Having said that I say we are prepared to discuss the modalities for future arrangements without conditions. The only condition is this should be within the framework of one Pakistan. It can be very loose arrangement but it must be within the concept of Pakistan and we must be given an opportunity that the settlement between East and West Pakistan must come between leaders and the people of East and West Pakistan without any foreign interference and certainly without Indian occupation. As long as Indian forces occupy my motherland, I cannot go forward. India must vacate my motherland. Indian forces must vacate East Pakistan before we can pick up the threads. This is a condition. India claims that she has not occupied but is a liberator. So the Indian occupation of East Pakistan must end before we can pick up the pieces.
One hundred and four countries of the world supported Pakistan’s position. My dear countrymen, do not think that we have lost. We have won because a political victory is much greater than military victory. Military victories come
and go. Germans were outside the gates of Moscow. The Japanese had taken Manchuria. I can go on and on to talk about foreign occupation. Foreign occupation is not a lasting phenomenon. A political decision based on justice is a
lasting decision. One hundred and four countries of the world supported Pakistan and this is an international plebiscite. This is an international election. India talks about elections of December 1970 in the country. I am not ashamed of the elections of December 1970 because my party emerged as a victorious party
of this wing of the country. So we have a stake in the elections of December 1970. But if India wants to invade Pakistan to interpret the will of the people of East Pakistan as a result of the elections of December 1970, why does not India pay heed to an international election.
India has used the election of East Pakistan as a pretext. She talked about refugee problem and as a result of it she invaded my country. We had never said that we do not want to take back refugees. We had said that whatever the number we want our own citizens back in our country. But India has brought them on their guns, on their bayonets and on their tanks. And let me tell you, my brethren of East Pakistan. India will bring many more and you will see the developments with the passage of each day. India did want to talk to a military regime. India did not want a military solution of the settlement. What has India imposed today
on East Pakistan? Is it a political solution? India said that there can only be a political solution but she has a military conclusion. If we have failed to impose a military solution internally India will equally fail to impose a military solution externally. India’s days in East Pakistan are doomed to fail. India simply cannot succeed. India knows the spirit of the people of Pakistan. The spirit of the
Musalmans of the sub-continent cannot in any way be compromised or in any way be dejected by temporary military victory. India should not get intoxicated by the fact that she has taken over by a preponderance of military force the Eastern part of Pakistan. We will fight and we will continue to fight for our
honour and for our self-respect for the integrity of Pakistan. This is not the first fight that we have had. India has a choice. The choice before India is to either accept the norms of justice and equity or face an impeccable enemy for all times, because the people of Pakistan, their spirit, their determination, their courage,
can never be compromised, no matter what happens in temporary affairs or over the exigencies of time.
So we fought for one Pakistan. We are prepared to vote to a modus vivendi, an honorable arrangement, a just arrangement, based on the aspirations and the wishes of both wings of the country, provided we are allowed and we come to our arrangement by ourselves.
We will move on to the constitution. We have to give the country a rule of law. And this constitution will not be my constitution because I am an elected representative of the people. I am a servant of the people of Pakistan. I know the people of Pakistan. I lived with them in villages, in towns, in cities. I know all of
their feelings. I know what is in their hearts. I know what they want. So I am not making an empty promise. My dear brothers, friends and sisters, I will give you a constitution according to your needs and according to your requirements and actually what you want. This will happen soon, very soon, but please give me
time in order to settle some of the preliminary internal problems and also to deal with the external situation. The lack of accountability has left us in a very bad plight. We have not lost a war. We have not failed. We have been failed. Our soldiers have nothing to be ashamed of. Our people have nothing to be ashamed of. Our soldiers fought valiantly. We are the victims of our system. We have not been the victims of any lack of velour or any lack of courage. Dunkirk was nothing compared to that what our people and our soldiers had to face in East Pakistan.
The western Press has been against us. The Press is writing against us. But we have nothing to fear. The truth will prevail. The truth is that Pakistanis are one of the best fighters in the world and, when I say that, these are not the words of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. These are the words of a distinguished foreign General, a great British General, who said that the world has not seen a better infantry soldier than the Pakistani. So please do not lose heart. I appeal to my young friends in the armed forces. I appeal to the jawans that we will redeem this day.
We will take revenge and we will see to it that this temporary humiliation is put right, if, of course. India wants to go on the path of revenge, if India does not want cooperation and understanding based on justice and equity, based on the
rights of Pakistan and the rights of the sub-continent, because we live in the same sub-continent.
I am afraid the nation has been fed on lies. Deception has been the order of the day. We have been misled. I am not going into that matter. Now I do not want to touch upon this question. I would like to avoid it if necessary. But I assure you, I promise you, that will speak the truth to you whatever the realities, I will present them before you either through these media here or through public contact. I will never lose my public contact. I will bring all these issues to you for your consent and for your approval. Some of the decisions you might not like but I will try to
explain them to you. I will want you to understand them. So I intend to embark on this mission very shortly because there has been political void in the land and we have suffered as a result of this political void and that is why a major part of our country today is under foreign occupation and we had to face ignominious surrender in East Pakistan. Now, if the internal situation in East Pakistan was
directed on the right lines I do not think that we would have seen this day. And in this connection I can assure that as long as I hold these responsibilities I will move very fast.
For economic and social justice I will move as fast as is necessary to see the burden of the common man lifted. I will move as fast as necessary to see that the disparities are removed. I will move as fast as necessary to see to it that
corruption and nepotism and maladministration are handled and when I say that I mean it. I know we have been using these words loosely in the past. But I will come down with a very heavy hand on corruption.
I warn the bureaucracy to do its job, to do its duty. Like I work night and day, I expect the bureaucracy to work night and day. I am a man who works 24 hours a day. For me there is no question of sleep or rest and I expect the bureaucracy to
do the same. The tea parties must come to an end. The bluff and bravado must stop. The bureaucracy must be re-orientated and it must be at the service of the people. I am not an opponent of the bureaucracy. We need the bureaucracy but we need a liberal dynamic bureaucracy at the service of the people. We do not
need a bureaucracy which is working on the traditions and concepts of the British. The Britishers were foreigners. The bureaucracy of Pakistan is not composed of foreigners. And when I talk of the bureaucracy I do not mean only the Secretariat at Islamabad. I mean each and every bureaucrat wherever he is.
And will travel unexpectedly without announcing my schedule of travel. Suddenly I might land at Rahimyar Khan. Suddenly might land in Chitral. Suddenly I might land in Mirpurkhas. Suddenly I might land at Lyallpur. So they must expect me at any time. And I will see to it that bureaucracy is at the service of the people.
I will see to it that corruption and maladministration are finished and as long as I am holding the office on behalf of the people of Pakistan, and this is said generally not out of any vindictiveness. Any bureaucrat who has misbehaved with me in the past or has done things which are contrary to law I forget that. We
are opening a new page—a new chapter. I expect the bureaucracy to behave and to cooperate only in so far as it is in the interest of the country.
In this connection I want to say something about the police. The police have been abused. The police have a bad name. Partly it is justified. Partly it is not justified. When it is not justified we will do everything to see that the facilities for the police, their children’s education, housing and other matters are put right,
because you cannot have an honest policeman with vast powers at a salary of Rs. 100/- or so. We will take care of that in due course. We will take care of the bureaucracy. We will respect and honour intelligent honest bureaucrats motivated with an ideal to serve Pakistan. They will be honored citizens of Pakistan. But we do not want opportunists and we do not want persons
destroying the very fabric of this nation. So to the police I say the part which has corrupted you, we will try to put that right but you must put an end to your “Zulm”, you must put an end to your tyranny. You must see to it that the security of every individual, no matter how poor he is, is respected.
First thing is that I want to ensure the security of the common man, the respect of the common man. The common man, the poor man, the peasant and the labourer have been subjected to too much humiliation. The whole nation has been humiliated today because the common man has been humiliated for 24 years. If the common man had not been humiliated for 24 years, Pakistan as a nation would not have been humiliated today. I want an end to this humiliation. I want each and every individual to be regarded as important. I do not want him to get
his justice through ‘sifarish’, I am not going to accept any “sifarish” at all. I am not going to permit my relations to say that we are related to Mr. Bhutto. I have no relations. I have no family. My family is the people of Pakistan. My children are the people of Pakistan. I do not have any family. I do not have any relations.
Nobody will do “sifarish” through my relations or through people known to me or through my party. I will never brook that because the people of Pakistan are my family. Of course I have a talented cousin who is outstanding in his own right. He will have a right to serve the people because he has gone to jails. He is intelligent. He has gone to Oxford, that is a different matter. But you can rest
assure that I have got children and I have got wife. They will not come into picture. They will be nowhere in the picture and if my children and my family or my wife think that they can exploit my position, they are sadly mistaken because I will make them accountable as any one else. So it must be known clearly to
everyone that no ‘sifarish’ from anyone, no nepotism, no corruption and no maladministration. It has been said these things are impossible. They are not impossible. Nothing is impossible. I expect that people and the party to cooperate with me to see that we come down heavily on these matters.
But fundamentally it is the economic system, the social and economic system that requires change and adjustment. We intend to put social economic system right. It will take sometime. Rome was not built in a day but nobody should be unnecessarily frightened either, because we want to serve the people. Those who are enterprising they must continue to render the contribution to the nation and we want production to go on. I will ensure that there are no lockouts. I will ensure that the labourers are not maltreated. I will ensure that unemployment does not unnecessarily take place. I would now appeal to the industrialist class. I will tell the industrialist class “Do not have lock-outs, do not throw out labourers because labourers are our masters.” I will tell the labour community “Please be a little patient, we will do everything in our power to put resources of the nation at
your disposal because you are producers of wealth and have nothing to fear.” To all those who work with their hands, all those who toil, “Please do not fear because your Pakistan has come into being today. Those who sweat, those who toil have nothing to fear. That applies to every segment of society. Also tell the
farmers, “you are the backbone of the nation. You will not be ejected by ‘Waderas,’ you will not be ejected by Zamindars. You will have your rights”.
I intend to have land reforms. I intend to have land reforms in the first instance and I intend to have land reforms in the second instance. The second instance is when democracy is restored, because the people’s representatives must determine the extent of land reforms. But in the first instance I would have the land reforms which are absolutely necessary for which we need no debate. And these land reforms will also be significant. Anyone who tries to circumvent these land reforms will be punished severely. I want no circumvention of land reforms in the first instance.
I want labour reforms in the first instance. These labour reforms and land reforms will come. They will come very soon. Give me a little time. But at the same time I tell the Zamindars and the industrialists that they should not think that the heavens have come down. The heavens never come down. There should
be no slackening in production, either in the agriculture sector or in the industrial sector.
If there is any slackening of industrial production or agricultural production to frustrate my reforms then I will nationalize and I will acquire the property in the name of the people straightaway. I expect cooperation straightaway from those who might try to frustrate my reforms. These reforms cannot be frustrated. These
reforms if they are frustrated then those who try to frustrate them have to pay a very heavy price.
Secondly, I want no flight of capital out of Pakistan. Pakistan’s money that has gone out of the country is the blood and the sweat of the people of Pakistan and must be brought back into Pakistan. Within a few days I am going to issue certain orders in relation to the flight of capital. But if the capital is not brought
back by voluntary means then you should not blame me for the action that I take. I appeal to all those people who have taken Pakistan’s blood out of this poor country to bring back that blood because that blood is needed by my people. It is needed by the armed forces of Pakistan. Return the money to Pakistan. You must bring it back otherwise I know the means.
We will seal the frontiers of Pakistan. I shall not allow any individual to leave Pakistan. I shall take measures against the families of those people who have taken money out of this country. If people, have taken money out of Pakistan
that money must come back to Pakistan. But I give you time to voluntarily do it and I am not going to set up committees and commissions for six months and three months. I know the people who have money abroad. I know them and know they can bring it back. Bring it back honorably, bring it back in the interest
of the people, bring it back for the armed forces. My armed forces need weapons, my armed forces need tanks, my armed forces have to be rehabilitated, my armed forces have given their lives for Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity and, therefore, this money must come back.
To my students, to the students who brought me back into a position of responsibility. The people of Pakistan have brought me back into a position of responsibility but in the first instance it has been the students. There is no leader of Asia and Africa, if I can recall, brought back into a position of responsibility, who has not been a victim of a conspiracy of a Great Power. I was a victim of conspiracy of two great powers but have been brought back into office by the people of Pakistan and I am grateful to you. I am thankful to you. My student are my children, I tell the student community that we will not interfere in your internal politics. I have no party in the student community. Whichever party
wins election, whichever party gains in the student community that is their look out. We will not inject politics into the student community. We will allow the student community to flourish, to come to its own decision. They are the elite. They are the masters of tomorrow. I am going to every university in Pakistan.
But please give me some time. I have a lot of misunderstandings to remove because the Press and the other forces have tried to create misunderstandings. To the students I say, “I am going to bring about many reforms in educational fields. Many reforms and I will make you the masters of your destiny but that destiny is the destiny of Pakistan. So I know you will reciprocate in the same sense of responsibility.”
Please do not misunderstand as far as the provinces are concerned. In this temporary phase will not allow a void to remain in the provinces. This I will say but again give me some time. Give me a little time and I will do that. In the meantime I will form a Cabinet. I will take people who, I think, are best suited to
discharge their responsibilities. This would be a temporary Cabinet. Everything is temporary for the moment. Nothing is permanent. Permanency will come after the constitution is approved by the people. Permanent arrangements will come
through the voice of the people and I am a part of that voice. Till then everything is temporary. My own position is temporary.
Whatever arrangements, make are temporary and secondly nobody should misunderstand if a certain person is given a certain job to do. This will be done in the administration, in the bureaucracy and other places. But this is the national
crisis. This is a crisis of our survival. There should be no question of injured feelings if a man is transferred from one position to another. There should be no question of feeling hurt if someone comes to replace someone else, because we have all been replaced. Have I not been replaced? And did we not all go out? We all have to go out. Everything is temporary. Only God and the Universe of God are permanent. Please do not misunderstand. I will never take a single action out of vindictiveness. I will take every action based on the objective of the necessities of Pakistan. So adjustments and necessities are made. They have to be made for the time being and I am sure they will be accepted in a spirit of responsibility.
But if a responsibility is offered to an individual, he should take it. He should not argue because I am now in search of people who may not even like me, who have spoken against me, or who have said things against me. I am going by national considerations, consideration of talent.
I want the talent of Pakistan internally. I want the talent of Pakistan that is outside Pakistan. I want to draw in the talent of Pakistan to responsible positions. Not on the basis of ‘sifarish’ or favoritism but on the basis of talent. I appeal to the talent of Pakistan to come and help me. I am an individual. I cannot do this all by myself. I want you all to come and help me. If the talent responds we can move mountains and we can face the aggressor. We can overwhelm all odds.
I would like to say something now about the armed forces. The armed forces should know that have always admired them. I have always stood by them as a minister in the past always contributed towards the strengthening of armed forces. The armed forces of Pakistan have always heroically, defended their
motherland. Please my dear jawans and my dear officers and my dear brothers, you have fought bravely, you have nothing to worry about you have nothing to be ashamed of.
You have been victims of a system. We will put this right. I will establish direct contact with you cannot look after everything, because of the present sensitive situation I intend as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator to at least retain the portfolios for Defence and Foreign Affairs. I will distribute other
portfolios whenever they are necessary so that others can help me. We will get together and whatever your grievances are we will redress them. You have today, you feel today, a sense of being hurt. Today our minds are agitated. Today you are seeking vengeance. Please wait a little; we will work out together a scheme that will vindicate national honour. The scheme that will vindicate your honour, our honour; there is no difference between us. People and the armed forces are one. The trouble has arisen because efforts were made to divide the people and
the armed forces. The armed forces come from the people. It is the people who create the armed forces. So we will bring back harmony and integration between the people and armed forces of Pakistan. But I need your cooperation. I need your sympathy. I need your understanding.
But in this connection since certain measures are necessary. I do not say light- heartedly. I say with a heavy heart. I have already taken certain measures which will come into force immediately. And that is that immediately the following Generals would have retired. The former President has already retired. He told
me today that he has retired. So the former President General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, is no longer in the armed forces. He has retired. And so are Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan, Gen. S.G.M. M. Pirzada, Gen. Ghulam Omer, Gen. Khudadad Khan, Gen. Kayani and Gen. Mitha. These are the Generals who have been retired on the wishes of the people, on the wishes of the armed forces of Pakistan. This is not my personal decision. I do not know most of them. I have not seen most of them.
But I have held discussions, consultations and this appears to be the will of the armed forces and of the people of Pakistan. And I am the servant of the people of Pakistan and I must salute their decision and the sentiments of the armed forces. These Generals stand retired and they cannot perform any further duties. They will retire honourably, gracefully and arrangements have already been made for their replacement.
This is my first decision and I think it is in accord with the sentiments of the armed forces, the younger officers and the general thinking. In the meantime as I said everything is temporary. My own position is temporary. All arrangements
are temporary. I have asked General Gul Hassan to be the Acting C-in-C of the Pakistan Army and he will take this position immediately. Straightaway he will go to work and he will have to work night and day. He is a soldier, a professional soldier. I do not think he has dabbled in politics and I think he has
respect and support of the armed forces, so have taken this decision. Nobody should misunderstand it. I know the general sentiments. These are temporary arrangements and permanent arrangements will be made later on when I have an opportunity to discuss and contemplate over these matters in greater depth.
But these decisions are nevertheless necessary so I have to take them. But he will retain the rank of Lt. General. We are not going to make any unnecessary promotions. We are a poor country. We are not going to unnecessarily fatten people. One of the reasons why we have had to see this day is because luxury has overtaken us. So I am afraid General Gul Hassan will have to retain the rank of Lt. General. He should not expect that he will be promoted to the rank of a General merely because of this temporary arrangement. I expect Lt. General Gul Hassan new C-in-C of the Pakistan Army will get the confidence and the service
of the people of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan and I repose confidence in him. But we must also expect that he will achieve great things; he will remodel, re-set and re-orientate the army on new lines, dynamic lines, on the lines of a free people’s army.
I will also like to say that I am withdrawing the ban on National Awami Party. Now I know that there are misgivings, many controversies but I have done it in good faith. I am doing it in good faith. I will start with a clean slate. I am assuming that we all are patriots and that we all want to serve Pakistan. So I am
withdrawing the ban on the NAP and I am going to summon or request, I am sorry to use the word summon, to request the leaders of the NAP to meet me very soon. In this connection I am also going to ask the other leaders of other political parties to meet me. I have nothing against them; believe me on the
national level I will never take up partisan decisions. That is all behind us. That was a part of politics when we did not have this responsibility. No political leader and political party should fear that we are going to take a partisan decision. I would consult all of them and I hope that these consultations will be helpful. But if unnecessary mischief is caused, then I am afraid that they know
me too well and we will have to react sharply. But before that I would have a meeting with them and have discussions.
Foreign policy has to be recast and redone. It will be naturally an independent foreign policy, motivated towards the higher interest of Pakistan. We want good relations with all the great powers. We want to have a foreign policy which is positive and which is constructive. I do not want to say much more on this
sensitive subject. But this much I like to say that we want a constructive and a positive foreign policy.
The bye-elections that have been held in East Pakistan, they were impracticable and were an insult to the people. I liquidate the results of the bye-elections held in East Pakistan. I would have talked to the two elected leaders of East Pakistan,
Mr. Nurul Amin as well as Chakma Chief, who is out of country. I want him to come back immediately to Pakistan so that we can hold consultations. These are the two elected leaders of East Pakistan returned on a free vote in the December 1970 elections.
Finally, I make a pledge, I make a solemn pledge that I will serve you with all my heart and will. I will serve even if it kills me. I know what the people of Pakistan want. I have lived with them. I have been with them, through thick and thin. Please have faith in me because I have infinite faith in you. I know that with your cooperation, we can look over the Himalayas but without your cooperation I am simply nobody. I cannot be carried on a gun or a bayonet. I can only be carried in your heart. I will never deceive you. I will never betray you. I will stay by the people. We will march to a great and more glorious Pakistan. This we will do
because we have faith in Islam which is the last message of God, Islam that gave brotherhood, equality and fraternity to the world. Islam with social progress based on what we consider to be Islamic Socialism, based on brotherhood, equality and feeling of tolerance and association. Inshallah Tala we will triumph. I
have no doubt in my mind. My brothers and sisters, in this moment of anguish and sorrow, please do not have any doubt in your mind. Please stand up and face the world. It is a bitter world but we have to face the bitter truth. I can assure you that we will succeed. There can be no doubt that we will succeed. Pakistan was made for a great cause, for a great ideal; that ideal is imperishable, that ideal is living. So let us pledge together. Not only my pledge but your pledge. We shall see to it that this stigma is wiped out even if it has to be done by our children’s children.
Pakistan Paindabad
Recently, a high-profiled issue has erupted in India, which has caused mass disturbance, as Indians once again, are being forced into submission by Hindu extremists.
Dennis Quaid and the Sharks at the Napa Valley Film Festival on November 7, 2017 at Blue Note Napa in Napa, California (Photo by Bob McClenahan for Napa Valley Film Festival)
Dennis Quaid and the Sharks at the Napa Valley Film Festival on November 7, 2017 at Blue Note Napa in Napa, California (Photo by Bob McClenahan for Napa Valley Film Festival)
Dennis Quaid kicks off the Napa Valley Film Festival with a performance from his band, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks on November 7, 2017 at Blue Note Napa in Napa, California (Photo by Bob McClenahan for Napa Valley Film Festival)
www.thepartnerstrust.com ~ New listing, charming cottage near Abbot Kinney in Venice, courtesy of Partners Trust's Alex Quaid.
As the inside was very dark due to power failure, the only light available was from the entrance. Aperture f2.8 Exposure 15 sec.