LAHORE: (Monday, October 01, 2012): Nawa-e-Waqt Group’s Managing Editor and The Nation Editor-in-chief Mr. Majid Nizami has said that our country could not become a country of Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal and Fatma Jinnah unless we liberate Kashmir from India. He was addressing the honorary PhD degree awarding ceremony at Al Raazi Hall of Undergraduate Study Centre here on Monday in acknowledgment of his meritorious services in the field of journalism.

PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Chief Minister’s Representative and advisor to Chief Minister on Higher Education MPA Zaeem Qadri, PPP central leader Jahangir Badr, Controller Examinations Prof Dr Liaqat Ali, Registrar Prof Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir, MPA and Member PU Syndicate Khawaja Imran Nazir, senior journalist Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami, Chairman Nazria Pakistan Trust Prof Dr Rafique Ahmed, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Akram, senior analyst Col (r) Amjad Hussain, Fasih Iqbal, PU Syndicate Member Prof Dr Shaukat Ali, senior analyst Prof Dr Mujahid Ali Mansoori, renowned columnists, senior faculty members, employees, students and people from various walks of life participated in the event. Addressing the ceremony, Majid Nizami said that Allah has ordered us to prepare our horses in the Holy Quran and our modern weapons were not decoration pieces and we must use it to liberate our jugular vein from our enemy.

He said that the devilish triangle of the United States, Israel and India was against Pakistan and if we did not liberate Kashmir from them, then Pakistan would be desiccated, which we could not afford at all cost. “This has been the policy of Nawaiwaqt. We want to see Pakistan an independent and autonomous country,” Mr Nizami added. He said that journalism was a tough profession as well as a tough business. He said that we had faced the tyrannies of rulers but by the grace of Almighty Allah, we had confronted it bravely. He said that by the grace of Almighty Allah, we had been speaking truth to power, which was written on the flag of daily NawaiWaqt. “After Tashkant Declaration, when Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sent home, I met him in Rawalpindi and asked him to take to the street. Mr Bhutto asked me that who would publish me? I replied that I will publish you and I did it well. After taking the reins of government, Mr Bhutto banned release of advertisements to Nawa-e-Waqt and he did it well,” Mr Nizami said, adding that Mr Bhutto was a civilian dictator.

Mr Nizami stated that same was done in the time periods of General Ayub, Nawaz Sharif and General Musharraf. He said that former information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in a speech made at Al Hamra Hall had said that Mian Nawaz Sharif told him that Mr Nizami was perturbing us and ordered him to ban Nawa-e-Waqt advertisements. “After the incident of 9/11, General Musharraf called a meeting of editors where I asked him that why did he surrender to the one phone call of Mr Bush? Mr Musharraf replied me that what could you do if you were the president? I said why should I be the president? I said if you (Musharraf) had opted to remain on your actual place then you must not have faced such problem,” Mr Nizami said.

“Once General Zia asked me to go to India. I replied that if you are going on tank, then I will be with you otherwise I will not enter India until the freedom of Kashmir,” he said. Thanking PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran and PU Syndicate members on award of honorary PhD degree, he said that he was thankful to PU VC for making him Dr Majeed Nizami. He said that these two months had been lucky for him as in the previous month, Lawrence Road was named after him. He said that neither I was invited to the ceremony nor I went to the ceremony. But, he said, it would be unjust not to thank Dr Mujahid Kamran and PU Syndicate on the precious award.

While addressing the ceremony, Dr Mujahid Kamran said that now business was the main objective of our media but Mr Majid Nizami had never taken care of business. He said that Mr Nizami always kept his newspaper ideological and that would last forever. He said that Mr Nizami was a brave journalist who had shown uncompromising valor and courage. He said that Mr Nizami didn’t take care of his health, wealth and life against autocrats. He said that Mr Majid Nizami was the custodian of Pakistan’s ideology. He said that no one like Mr Nizami had preserved the ideology of Pakistan. He said that some powers wanted to create confusions in Pakistan’s ideology. He said that foreign influence was reflected in our media and some programs were scripted in foreign countries. He said that the subjects of social sciences had progressed very much and it could be managed to put thinking of a specific group of people on a specific track, mainly through media and curriculum. He said that after all the affairs of corruptions, Pakistan’s current account was in positive and it stood 50th while the US’s current account was in negative and it stood 192nd among the countries and the US’s debt had reached 54 trillion dollars.

Senior journalist Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami said that perhaps it was happening for the first time in history that honorary PhD degree was being awarded to a journalist. He said that where improvement had been witnessed in various sections of the university during the tenure of Dr Mujahid Kamran, that credit also went to the PU VC. Col (r) Amjad Hussain said that Majid Nizami decided to continue the mission of late Hameed Nizami after his death. He said that Majid Nizami was the photocopy of Hameed Nizami. He said that Mr Nizami had three bypasses but he still looked young. He said that Allah has deputed Mr Nizami to protect ideology of Pakistan and make all out efforts for betterment of the country. Senior analyst Fasih Iqbal said that there needed many days and many nights to say something about the personality of Majid Nizami. He said that he had never changed his stance and kept his newspaper missionary. He said that once Mr Majid Nizami was coming to Quetta and Nawab Akber Bugtti requested him to arrange his meeting with Mr Nizami. “Mr Bugtti said that although Nawa-e-Waqt writes against us but I want to meet him as he was a man of principles,” he added. He said that he wanted to congratulate the oldest seat of higher learning in sub-continent and PU Syndicate on awarding this degree. He said that the services of such personalities must be acknowledged in their life and PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran had taken a right decision at the right time. Earlier, Dr Kamran presented honorary PhD degree in the subject of journalism to Mr Majid Nizami. Prof Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir also highlighted salient features of the life of Mr Nizami in his inaugural speech.