ISLAMABAD: (DNA) –  Prime Minister Imran Khan has said Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of its history as it has been waging a struggle to get rid of corruption and malpractices and strive for economic stability.

“The Pakistan of today is a New Pakistan. We are endeavoring to make the country a true Islamic welfare state,” he reiterated in his message on the occasion of Pakistan Day.

“We are committed to establishing a society which is based on compassion and justice and where every person can contribute towards socio-economic development to the best of his ability,” said the premier.

“We desire friendly and peaceful relations with all our neighbors, based on the principle of equality.”

The prime minister said Islamabad wanted regional countries to join hands for eliminating poverty and help their people achieve socio-economic prosperity. “We want to make it clear that our desire for peace should not be treated as a weakness. Pakistan reserves the right to take every step for its defence.”

The premier said the 23^rd March is a historic day in the country’s history when the Muslims of Subcontinent determined their destiny in line with the vision of national poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal.

That very day, he said, the Muslims of Subcontinent under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah resolved to carve out an independent Muslim state for themselves thus breaking the shackles of slavery and putting an end to tyranny of the Hindu majority.

PM Khan said the struggle of the Muslim culminated in the creation of an independent Muslim state on 14th August 1947. The creation of Pakistan enabled the Muslims to secure their rights, religious freedom and socio-economic opportunities which were being denied to them by the Hindu majority who also threatened their cultural identity, he added.