High Commissioner of Pakistan; Your Excellencies; Ministers; Members of the Parliament; and all the well wishers and Pakistani nationals present here today;
Assalaam Alaikum.
The High Commissioner has very eloquently elaborated the very long, historic ties between our two peoples. Of course, Maldives has embraced Islam much later than Islam was introduced in Pakistan, or the area that we now know as Pakistan.
But our embracing has so much to do with trade and interacting with Pakistan and we are of course always therefore linked forever.
Tonight, we mark the 71st anniversary of Pakistan National Day. The High Commissioner again pointed out that almost more than 70 years ago four people sat together and decided how may the Muslims of the subcontinent be able to live a more happy and prosperous and a happier life with their families and with their cultures in the Middle East.
I would like to today remember Honorable Mohammed Ali Jinah, soon after that day quoting by him that says “Our objective should be peace within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and friendly relations with our immediate neighbors and the world at large.” That was his idea. We have come a long way since then and we are still facing a number of challenges for us to be able to realize those noble intentions.
I’m sure we have the capacity for all the countries in South Asia to overcome our differences and attempt to deliver a better life for our people. South Asia is very rapidly, economically developing and we must be able to distribute the fruits of these developments to the people.
I am sure both Pakistan, India and the rest of the subcontinent can sit down together and decide upon issues and deliver the decisions to our people.
We hold the SAARC Summit this year in Addu. That would be the first time the summit will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. So perhaps we maybe able to look at South Asia in a more opportune light. Looking from down below and looking up. We are very hopeful we will be able to find many, many amicable solutions when we meet in Addu.
Also tonight I would like to mention another more pressing issue for us the Maldives and I believe also the Pakistan. That is radical Islamic ideas that in many instances are challenging our norms and the way we have lived for many centuries. I am certain and I am sure that Pakistan is blessed with a very wide body of Islamic knowledge and experience for it to be able to come out as a leader in announcing a new, Renaissance Islam that will help us to live a better life both now and in the afterlife. I am sure Pakistan has the capacity to come out with a more appropriate doctrine of Islam, the way that we have always lived, the way that we have always interacted with our families and we look at Pakistan for that knowledge and for that experience. 71 years after the idea of Pakistan came into being, I am sure Pakistanis’ will very deeply think and come to decisions on how we maybe able to go forward. Pakistan is an immensely rich country both in human development as well as all the economic possibilities and opportunities.
Pakistan can lead the Islamic world in many ways. Today while we celebrate Pakistan’s 71st National Day, many other Islamic countries are just realizing the aspirations of Pakistani leaders 71 years ago. Pakistan therefore stands in the forefront of being able to tell the rest of the Islamic world show an example to them and bring governance that are accepted by the people and governance that can rule for the people.
I thank you, everyone for inviting me here tonight. It is a great pleasure to be able to spend this day with Pakistani nationals in the Maldives. We are thankful; I am thankful and grateful for the very good service that you are giving to our national life. We are very close in so many ways with the people of Pakistan and I have no doubt that whenever we are in difficulty, in trouble, Pakistan will always assist us, and the Maldives people will always in the capacity that they can, assist and help the Pakistani people.
I praise and hope that our friendship will further improve and we have more blessed days to see.