Islamabad, MAR 27 /DNA/ – Shakeel Munir, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that 23rd March, 1940 was a historic occasion when the Muslims of the Sub-Continent decided to establish a separate homeland to free themselves from the oppression and slavery of the Hindu majority. He said that this day called upon the nation to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation and all the leaders of the Independence Movement who united Muslims of Sub-Continent and struggled for creation of a free and independent Muslim State, which was culminated in the emergence of Pakistan on the map of the World on 14th August, 1947. He called upon the business community and the nation to work harder for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. He was speaking as chief guest at a Pakistan Day ceremony organized by Islamabad Founders Lions Club, which was Presided over by its President Baser Daud.

Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President, Muhammad Faheem Khan Vice President ICCI, Ejaz Abbasi & Sheikh Amir Waheed former Presidents, Muhammad Naveed Malik & Khalid Chaudhry former Senior Vice Presidents, Ahsan Bakhtawari & Ashfaq Hussain Chatha former Vice Presidents, Zia Khalid Chaudhry, Naveed Satti, Faheem Iqbal, Ms. Shazia Rizwan, Ms. Safeena Shah, Ms. Nageena Khaleeque, Umar Sadiq, Faizan Shehzad, Ch. Tahir, Zaheer Iqbal, Malik Najeeb and others were present at the occasion.

Shakeel Munir said that this day also reminded us that we as a nation should work hard for the development of our beloved country. He resolved that the business community would continue to play a role for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. He said that Pakistan was achieved with unprecedented sacrifices which necessitated that every individual of the nation should work with honesty and integrity to make Pakistan a strong economy of the region. He said that without making the economy strong, it was not possible to make Pakistan a progressive and prosperous country. He urged that the government should provide maximum facilitation to the private sector so that the business community could contribute to steer the economy out of troubled waters and put it on the path of sustainable growth.

Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President and Faheem Khan Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam had envisioned Pakistan as a progressive welfare Islamic state, but we are still way behind from translating their vision into reality. They said our country was endowed with lots of natural resources and great potential to grow fast. They urged that the government should create a more conducive environment for business and investment to enable Pakistan to emerge as a strong economy of the region.