Syed Mussarat Khalil

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) celebrated 138th birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, at Mehran Thursday.



Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, renowned Saudi intellectual, writer and former diplomat, presided over the gathering.



Al-Ghamdi  said  that  he  considers  himself  Pakistani, and that Jinnah was his leader also and he was not only great leader of Pakistan but of the Muslim world.



Quoting historian Stanley Hedley, Al-Ghamdi said: “Few individuals  significantly changed the course of  history, fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Jinnah did all those three.”



“In  1947  lots  of  Muslims  moved  to  East  Pakistan  but  they  became  captives  in  1971  after  the creation of  Bangladesh, so  it  is  the  duty  of  Pakistan  to  give  them  back  their  Pakistan  by  repatriating  and  rehabilitating  them.  I  am  sure  soul  of  Qauide  Azam  will  not  be  happy  that  patriotic   Pakistanis  are left  in  Bangladeshi  where  they  are  humiliated  and  persecuted  over  four  decades,” he said. Saeed Farah Al-Ghamdi, former Kingdom’s permanent representative to the International Organization of Civil Aviation (ICOA) in Canada and ex-director general of Presidency of Civil  Aviation (PCA) Airways Engineering (AE) at Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA), was the chief guest.

 Al-Farah strongly condemned the barbaric act on the innocent  students of the  Peshawar  school.



He said  that  he  is highly  impressed  by  the  leadership  of  Jinnah,  and is  very  happy  to  speak  about  him  on  this occasion. “Pakistan  is playing  strong a role  in  whole  Muslim  world. Pakistanis  are  intelligent,  honest, hard  working  and  committed  people,  and  have played an  important  role  in  Saudi  Arabia’s   progress  and  development,” he said.



The function started with the recitation of a few verses from the holy Qura’n by Abdul Majeed. Zamurrad Khan and A.Q Waseq  presented poems in tribute to Quaid-e-Azam.



Deputy Convener Hamid Islam welcomed the guests and briefed PRC’s effort in solving the issue of Kashmiris and stranded Pakistanis.



Abu Farhan Siddiqui, general secretary Muslim Welfare Development Organization (MWDO), gave details of activities for stranded Pakistanis in several camps in Bangladesh in the field of education, health care and subsistence allowances, among others.



Choudhry  Riaz  Ghumman  of  Kashmir  Committee, Tayyab  Mosani, secretary general of Memon Welfare Society (MWS), Social worker, Shamsuddin Altaf,  Engineer Aziz Ahmed General Secretary, Pakistan Engineers Society (PES) Writer, Mohammad  Amanatullah, Maqbool-ur-Rahman Abbassi, representative Pakistan Journalist Forum (PJF) and  Community  member  Mohammad  Akram  Agha  also  paid  tribute  to  Quaid-e-Azam.



Convener Syed Ehsan-ul-Haque thanked all the guests for their participation. Secretary  general  Abdul  Qayyum  Wasiq  conducted  the proceedings.