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    Defence of Pakistan Day

    Written by: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed
    Posted on: September 05, 2020 | | 中文

    Recipients of the highest military honor, Nishan-e-Haider. Back Row (L to R): Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Tufail Muhammad Shaheed, Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, Rana Shabbir Sharif Shaheed, Muhammad Akram Shaheed and Karnal Sher Khan . Front Row (L to R): Muhammad Mahfooz Shaheed, Lalak Jan Shaheed, Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Muhammad Janjua Shaheed.

    The Defence Day of Pakistan is commemorated on September 6 every year to pay homage to the defenders of Pakistan, particularly the armed forces as well as other members of the security forces who have laid down their lives to protect Pakistan from aggression. The Defence of Pakistan day originated in the wake of the September 1965 war when India committed aggression against Pakistan and attacked Lahore on September 6, which resulted in a 17-day long military conflict between Pakistan and India. Since then, the notion of Defence Day has evolved, given the changing nature of threats and different kinds of conflicts faced by the Pakistani state and society.

    Direct military conflicts and armed engagements between Pakistan and India since 1965 include the 1971 war, the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Indian aggression against Pakistan, when Indian planes crossed the border to bomb Balakot. On the latter occasion, Pakistan retaliated by shooting down 2 Indian planes and capturing an Indian Air Force pilot. However, since 9/11, there has also been military confrontation within Pakistan, between homegrown extremism that morphed into violence through terror outfits.

    Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui and Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan, who shot down an IAF plane on February 2019

    Various military operations were also launched by the Pakistan Army to counter terrorist threats, but the barbaric attack on school children studying in the Army Public School in Peshawar, raised the terrorist threat to a new level. It resulted in the formulation of the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism and extremism, with the unanimous support of all political parties in the parliament.

    Tahira Qazi, Principal of Army Public School Peshawar 2014

    Another important factor that has impacted on national security and defence has been the nuclear factor. In 1998 Pakistan, after India’s nuclear tests on May 11, followed suit on May 28, becoming the first nuclear power in the Muslim World. A “balance of terror” since then has precluded the possibility of direct Indian military aggression of Pakistan.

    During this process, the notion of national security has also been redefined in the changing security landscape of Pakistan and the region. National security is no longer defined in purely military terms such as tanks, army, planes, nuclear weapons and missiles. Its scope now includes civilian components like protecting human security: economy, energy, human rights, rule of law, political parties, constitution, parliament, health, education, population planning, cyber security and climate change.

    Dr. Sana Fatima, one of the first doctors to pass away in the fight against COVID

    Pakistan is the only Muslim country post 9/11 which has successfully waged an inland war against terrorism and extremism wherein the armed forces and the people, soldiers and civilians alike, have collectively struggled and sacrificed, suffering more than 70,000 casualties during this period. This has only been possible because the state and society were on one page to combat the threat within of terrorism and extremism, which were remnants of the decades-long Afghan war in which Pakistan played a pivotal role along with its Western allies.

    This difficult period has also been of a “course correction”, with lessons learnt from mistakes made in the past.

    Three such mistakes are noteworthy. First, as the September 1965 war and the 1999 Kargil conflict demonstrate, there were flawed assumptions of our military planners that proved costly for the country. In both conflicts, the assumption about Indian intentions and Indian reaction to Pakistan’s actions proved to be fatally wrong. Ironically, the mistake of 1965 was repeated 34 years later in 1999.

    Karnal Sher Khan, martyred during the Kargil War

    The second mistake was a singular one done by the policymakers in the 1971 war: military action and use of force against our own people, which resulted in alienating the populace they were supposed to be protecting. This mistake has been repeated, albeit, on a smaller scale, in Balochistan in the 1970s, as well as in the former FATA, and Balochistan again in the 21stcentury. In battling insurgencies, it is critical to separate the vast majority of the people from the insurgents; otherwise, it will only help the cause of the insurgency.

    The third mistake emanated from a flawed Afghan policy and its domestic imprint within Pakistan, where an informal distinction was sought to be drawn between the so-called ‘good Taliban’ and the ‘bad Taliban’, as if the former could be ‘used’for purposes of political and strategic leverage, a cynical opportunist policy that wasn’t only flawed but which ended up in failure, including naive notions like ‘strategic depth’.

    Lt Nasir Khalid, martyred in an IED blast in North Waziristan in September 2020

    For the future, defending Pakistan should be viewed in a context, where the armed forces and the people collectively contribute to preserving, promoting and protecting the lives of the people with human security as the priority. In doing so, the process should be institutional, transparent and rooted in the rule of law so that issues like missing persons or enforced disappearances do not detract from the primary goal of protecting Pakistan from enemies, both within and without.

    Sifwat Ghayur, the Police Officer who was martyred in a suicide attack by the Pakistani Taliban

    Since, this year, the Defence of Pakistan Day coincides with threats of pandemics, like the ongoing battle against the Coronavirus, or natural disasters, like the disastrous floods in Karachi, national priorities need to be reset in a manner corresponding to these new realities. Human Security is the paramount pillar of National Security and Defence of Pakistan, and that means not just warding off foreign aggression, but protecting and defending the lives and welfare of the people of Pakistan from all kinds of threats, military and non-military.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021