ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Speakers at a special event held to mark the 50th death anniversary of Chinese leader Chairman Mao Zedong paid tribute to his contributions to China and the world, describing China as the pivot of Pakistan’s foreign policy and Pakistan’s best friend.
The largely attended function was hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute. Its chairman, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, delivered the keynote address. Former Speaker of the National Assembly Syed Fakhar Imam was the chief guest, while former foreign minister and former ambassador to China Inamul Haq presided over the event.
Prominent journalist Hamid Mir and leading lawyer Salman Akram Raja were among the speakers. Senator Sitara Ayaz presented the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the function.
In his keynote address, Senator Mushahid Hussain said Chairman Mao was among the three historical giants of the 20th century who shaped the course of history through their leadership and vision. He named the other two as Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Russian Revolution, and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.
Terming Chairman Mao the “builder of new China”, Senator Mushahid said Mao, during the quarter century of his rule, liberated Chinese peasants from feudalism, doubled life expectancy, increased the literacy rate from 20 per cent to 93 per cent, made China a nuclear power through indigenous efforts in science and technology, and emancipated Chinese women.
He said Chairman Mao also ensured food, clothing, housing and basic health facilities for the Chinese people and laid the foundation of today’s peaceful, prosperous and powerful China.
Senator Mushahid also described Chairman Mao as the architect of friendship with Pakistan. He said Mao gave full support to Pakistan during the 1965 war against India and also supported oppressed causes such as Kashmir and Palestine, besides liberation movements in Africa.
He said Chairman Mao played a decisive role on three occasions in saving the Chinese Revolution and protecting the interests of China and its people.
According to Senator Mushahid, the first occasion was in 1935 when Chairman Mao led the Long March, which saved the Communist Party and preserved the People’s Liberation Army. He said the second was in 1966, when Mao launched the Cultural Revolution to save China from the fate of the Soviet Union, as he feared the Chinese system was becoming corrupted.
Senator Mushahid said Mao thus helped China avert the fate of the Soviet Union, which eventually broke up in 1991. He added that Mao’s 1971 opening to America was a diplomatic “master stroke” that delinked the United States from the Soviet Union and prevented the two from ganging up against China.
Other speakers praised Chairman Mao as a genuine revolutionary, great thinker and philosopher, and a selfless patriot whose focus remained on the welfare of the Chinese people.
Syed Fakhar Imam praised China’s governance model and termed it a principal factor in promoting China’s rapid economic development in an environment of peace and stability.
Ambassador Inamul Haq praised China’s diplomacy under Chairman Mao, calling it a beacon of hope. He said China played a pivotal role in the emergence of the Third World and the Global South.
Senator Sitara Ayaz appreciated Chairman Mao’s services for giving fundamental rights to Chinese women, who, she said, are now equal partners with men in China’s phenomenal progress.
The speakers agreed that China is the pivot of Pakistan’s foreign policy and the best friend of Pakistan.
The function was attended by people from all walks of life, including parliamentarians, policy makers, diplomats, business leaders, students and scholars.
