By Seda Sevencan
ANKARA (AA) – Pakistan’s Embassy in Ankara marked the country’s national day on Monday.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, only members of the embassy participated in the flag hoisting ceremony.
The day commemorates the Lahore Resolution adopted on March 23, 1940 in which the Muslim leaders of the sub-continent set the agenda of a separate homeland.
On March 23, 1956, the country also adopted its first constitution, making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ankara Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi hoisted the national flag to the tune of the country’s national anthem.
The message of Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan were also read out in the ceremony.
Also, Pakistan's Founder Muhammed Ali Jinnah and other leaders of Pakistan’s independence movement were remembered.
According to a press release issued by the embassy, the event also expressed solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and “moral, political and diplomatic support for their legitimate right to self-determination.”
– Disputed region
Jammu and Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – including two over Kashmir.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights groups, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
