Mushahid, others to visit grave of Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed tomorrow

      ISLAMABAD, Sep 5 (APP): Chairman Senate Standing Committee on
Defence & Defence Production Mushahid Hussain Sayed along with other
members of the committee will visit the grave of Capt. Karnal Sher
Khan Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) tomorrow to express support and
solidarity to the martyrs on the Defence Day (September, 6).
      In a message, Mushahid said that 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,"
he said.
      Mushahid said that the defence of the Motherland was not just
a military undertaking but it had 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". 
      He said 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," he added.
      On the occasion of the Defence of Pakistan Day, Mushahid
assured the families of all those officers and soldiers martyred in
the defence of the country.
      "We assure the families of the martyrs 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," he concluded.