WASHINGTON(National Times)- A statue of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was unveiled at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington on Friday, giving the country’s Independence Day celebrations a distinctly historical dimension and placing the founder of Pakistan at the centre of a ceremony that also highlighted the evolving Pakistan-United States relationship.
Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh unveiled the statue during an Independence Day ceremony attended by members of the Pakistani-American community, diplomats and media representatives.
The statue, donated by the Quaid-i-Azam Foundation of Houston, will remain permanently at the embassy. Its unveiling comes as Pakistan prepares to mark Jinnah’s 150th birth anniversary later this year.
Paying tribute to the founder, Ambassador Sheikh said the nation remained grateful to Mr Jinnah for his constitutional struggle and tireless efforts that turned the idea of Pakistan into a reality.
“The inspiring leadership of Quaid-i-Azam united the Muslims of the subcontinent under one flag and blessed us with freedom,” he said, urging Pakistanis, particularly those living abroad, to uphold Jinnah’s principles of “Unity, Faith and Discipline”.
The Independence Day ceremony began with the hoisting of the national flag to the strains of the national anthem, followed by the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and the reading of messages from Pakistan’s president, prime minister and deputy prime minister.
In his address, Ambassador Sheikh used the occasion to underline Pakistan’s continuing importance to the US and the wider world.
His remarks echoed a message issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Pakistan’s Independence Day, in which he specifically referred to the two countries’ cooperation on regional mediation, along with critical minerals, energy, counterterrorism, cultural heritage, and trade and investment.
The reference to regional mediation is particularly significant given Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts involving Washington and Tehran. Islamabad has sought to use its relations with both sides to facilitate dialogue and help ease tensions between the United States and Iran.
The ceremony also included an investiture ceremony for Waqar Ali Khan, who received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in recognition of his decades of service as a community leader and cultural ambassador in the US.
