Pakistan Celebrates 60 Years Of Statehood

Country Split From British-Ruled India In 1947; Facing New Challenges With Optimism

(CBS)  This story was written by Farhan Bokhari, reporting for CBS News in Pakistan.

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Pakistanis filled the streets Tuesday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their country's independence.

The country was a part of a unified India, under British rule, until 1947. Now, the south Asian country is full of bold expectations for a prosperous future, but faces daunting security challenges.

Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf set the pace for a day of celebrations in the capital city of Islamabad with a message on Monday, Independence Day-eve, urging Pakistanis to overcome their differences, and predicting greater prosperity in the years to come.

The president's remarks were overshadowed, however, by discreet warnings from senior security officials of the possibility of attacks by hardcore militants opposed to the government's support for the U.S.-led war on terror.

Security was tight Tuesday, prompting western diplomats in Islamabad, to stay indoors. But regular Pakistanis flooded the streets to celebrate the day, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.

Independence Day celebrations began with the boom of artillery guns firing off a ceremonial salute in the capital, and the capitals of Pakistan's four provinces. Some eager revelers started earlier, shattering the night's silence with pop of frequent fire crackers on the streets.

In the days running up to Tuesday, stalls were set up on main streets across Pakistan, selling a range of celebratory paraphernalia ranging from the Pakistani flag — bearing a crescent and star on a green and white background — to banners inscribed with nationalistic slogans.

For an entire generation, the creation of the country in 1947 also marks the beginning of a tragic period during which an estimated quarter of a million, to one million people have died in riots between Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus.

The migration of Muslims to the newly created state of Pakistan remains to this day the largest known mass movement of its kind in history.

Gen. Musharraf is himself the son of Muslim parents who migrated from Delhi — the present-day Indian capital. The journey to the new state was not without risk.

"It was a train journey, and my mother was very worried because dead bodies… there were dead people who could be seen on platforms where the train would stop", said Musharraf during his nationally televised speech on Monday.

India was declared an independent state a day after Pakistan. India will celebrate its own six decades of independence on Wednesday.

During 60 years of separation, India and Pakistan have fought at least three wars and many smaller skirmishes, mainly over territory — namely, the predominantly-Muslim Himalayan state of Kashmir.

In 1998, the military balance between India and Pakistan was evened out when Pakistan conducted its first nuclear tests and emerged as the world's newest nuclear armed state. India was already in that category.

The position of India and Pakistan as nuclear states has raised concerns in Western capitals over the danger of a nuclear exchange in south Asia. But supporters of Pakistan's nuclear program claim that some stability, in terms of having a mutual deterrent, is provided by the weapons.

In the past three years, India and Pakistan have gradually pursued a new peace process, raising hopes in the region and in the West of an eventual normalization in relations.

The key challenge faced by Pakistan now is Islamic militancy on its own soil. Hardline groups including al Qaeda and the Taliban have carved-out safe havens in areas near the border with Afghanistan. But Tuesday, in the midst of Independence Day celebrations, many Pakistanis were eager to celebrate history, and forget their grievances for at least a moment.

"I am proud to be a Pakistani. When Pakistan was created, many people thought we could not survive for long and here we have survived for so long," said Tariq Mehmood, a college student in Islamabad told CBS News. "Let us remember that it is Pakistan which gives us a sense of nationhood and reason for optimism."

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Farhan Bokhari has been covering southeast Asia for several large European news organizations for 16 years. Based in Islamabad, his focus is security issues, in particular al Qaeda and the regional aspects of the global fight against terrorism.

[lars008-2009]

LOOK WHO IS KILLING CIVILIANS???

Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out 'Martyrdom' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD154907

Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp

But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.

"It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.

Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.

The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108

[hamiltongrad]

Israel and Pakistan: Same Dream

just as the Muslims of India wanted to have a land of their own, after WWII, so too did the poor battered Jews who had lived there as a majority for over 2000 years !

For Pak - There were far more refugees when the bloody separation and take over of that part of India , via a war. Many many were tortured and killed by the Muslims. Yet no world outcry to restore the lands or a right to return ?

I So as the world wishes Pakistan well ( and we do !) should we question their right to exist. should we demand money for refugess ? Should they tolerate terrorists ? Double standards anyone ?

[lars008-2009]

what do you call an ideology that:

kills you if you don't join it...

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=82201&ln=eng&txt=islam%20law%20kill%20kaafir

kills you if you leave it...

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=696&ln=eng&txt=kaafir%20kill

kills you if you don't do what they tell you to do..

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=6035&ln=eng&txt=kaafir%20kill

kills you if you speak against it%u2026.

http://islamqa.com/index.php?QR=22809&ln=eng

kills anybody that is not a member of it...

http://www.hauns.com/~DCQu4E5g/koran5.html

still practices slavery

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=12562&ln=eng&txt=slavery

still practices pagan rituals...

http://answering-islam.org/Silas/pagansources.htm

allows the r a p e of babies and animals...

http://www.homa.org/default.asp?TOCID=2083225445

a. satanic cult???
b. islam???
c. all the above???

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

[ratee-2009]

Pakistan is doing better than most of the enemies would assume. At the time of partition its enemies had predicted it would be finished in its first year of its existence. It had virtually no industry, no schools,it was a bankrupt country, now it has thousands of institutions, and is totally self-sufficient in food.Probably most of the people in the West also dont know because of the high degree of propaganda against Pakistan that Pakistan's per caita income in dollar terms is $ 1,000 which is far more than any other South Asian country including India.In the last five years economy of Pakistan has grown at 7.5% annually that is also phenomenal with foreign investment in this financial year was $ 8.5 billion. Moreover Pakistan is strong enough, and I dont think anybody sensible enough can dare attack Pakistan if they know it has nuclear weapons to defend itself.

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

[gangesdak]

Pakistan is a failed country. Jinnah, the father of Pakistan, created Pakistan to spite Mahatma Gandhi. Jinnah himself was no practicing Muslim in any stretch of imagination. For the past 60 years the only glue that bonded Pakistan (except for their losss of Bangladesh, which was due to their own atrocities to the paople of Bangladesh- their own country)together was their concocted hatred against India. While India chugged forward- though not at a great speed- Pakistan lagged way behind consumed by its harted and by its deadbeat Mullahs. Wake up!

[nomanaqil]

I reserve my comments for 100 Years Anniversary of my Dear Pakistan.

[infidel_us]

congratulations....ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

Apu celebrates 19 years at the Quickie Mart! :)

[rushlimpdrug]

So many H-1 applicants!