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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The First Issue Of The Daily "Dawn" Was Published From Karachi On August 15











The announcement of creation of Pakistan in English was done by Zahur Azar while in Urdu by Mustafa Ali Hamdani from Pakistan Broadcasting Service. This announcement was done on the mid night of 14 and 15 August from Lahore, Peshawar and Dacca. The daily Dawn started its publication from Karachi the same day and its supplement had the message of Quad e Azam, " The first issue, I am informed will appear from Karachi, the Capital of Pakistan on the 15th of August, the appointed day." The same day , the 15th of August the first gazette of Pakistan was issued that had information about the appointment of Quad e Azam as Governor General of Pakikstan. The same day Quad e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworned in as the first governor general of Pakistan by the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Justice Abdul Rasheed. The same day the members of the first cabinet of Pakistan under the leadership of Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan took the oath.
All the documents and evidences prove that Pakistan was created on 15th of August not on 14th of August. During the first year of freedom of Pakistan no ambiguity was found on the existence day of the new Islamic state. The Home department of Pakistan on December 19, 1947 announced the list of public holidays for 1948, where the date for Independence day given was August 15. This circular is saved in the National Documentation Center , Islamabad.
In the first quarter of the year 1948, postal service of Pakistan started the designing and publishing the first set of postal stamps consisting of four types of stamps. The stamps that were printed at the printing press of Messers Tomis De Laro in Britain and were presented for sale on July 09, 1948. These stamps carried the day of Freedom of Pakistan as 15th August.
It is a fact that Pakistan took birth on August 15, 1947, but the day is celebrated on 14th. Actually what happened can be understood by the decision of the cabinet meeting convened on Tuesday the 29th day of June, 1948. It is however not clear that who was the mover of the motion and what arguments were given for the decision. The cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of prime minister Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan in Karachi was attended by the misters for foreign affairs, communication, Law and Labor, Refugees and Rehabilitation, Food and Agriculture, Health, Home and Information and Broadcasting, in which it wss decided that the celebrations for the Independence day will be held on 14th of August 1948 instead of 15th August 1948. However, prime minister told the cabinet that this decision is not final and will be brought in the notice of Quad e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and final decision will be made after his approval.
It is a fact the celebrations held and date of 14th August would not be changed officially, but it is certain that our actual independence day is 15th of August 1947 and that was the day of Last Friday and 27th of Ramazan. By celebrating Independence day on 14 of August we are deprived of the respect and sacredness of the 27th of Ramazan, the Shab e Qadr.

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