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Speech in reply to the address of the French Ambassador M. Leon Marshall, April 9, 1948
Your Excellency!
It has given me great pleasure to welcome you today in your capacity as the first Ambassador of the Republic of France to Pakistan. With your appointment, the relationship between our two countries assumes a closer and more intimate form and I hope and trust that this will presage the most cordial and friendly co-operation between our two countries.
The magnificent history of your great country and its achievements are well-known to the world. In common with other nations, we in Pakistan have admired the high principles of democracy that form the basis of your great State.
The cry of liberty, fraternity and equality which has raised during your great revolution and officially adopted by your great Republic had its repercussions throughout the world, as is known to every student of history. These ideals and these principles are still keeping up the hopes of many downtrodden nations.
As Your Excellency has yourself observed, the traditions (and may I add the culture) of Pakistan, as the youngest of the free Muslim countries of the world, has been inherited from a long past - a past which, in view of the manifold contacts is well-known and familiar to the Government and people of France.
Long Contact
Indeed, in view of this long contact of France with the Muslim world, the people of France and Pakistan are not strangers to one another. I hope and trust that with this background of intimate contact between our two peoples, and in particular with Your Excellency's knowledge of our brother Muslim countries your appointment will inaugurate a new era which, I hope, will lead to closer friendship between France and Pakistan.
I assure Your Excellency that we in Pakistan will give you our support and co-operation which you may require in promoting relationship of goodwill and friendship between our two countries and I trust that in the result, Pakistan and France will unitedly play their part in re-establishing peace and prosperity in the present distracted world.
Once again, Your Excellency, I assure you of a warm and friendly welcome to Pakistan.
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"In a nutshell, Patient Welfare Society wants to join - and lead - others in helping the world see. One way we achieve
this goal is by giving the Gift of Sight to needy people in
Pakistan... read more
Surah An-Nahl, xvi. 114
India
and, in particular, Muslim India cannot afford to lose you. Men of clear
vision, independent judgement and strength of character are very few,
and when one sees efforts made in non-Muslim Indian quarters not to
help genuinely Muslim India with a view to Secure their co-operation
but simply to persuade the Muslim community to entrust its future to
them, the need for a strong man of independent judgement, integrity
and strength of character becomes apparent and overwhelmingly great...
At such crisis it is only men of very outstanding ability like yours
who can guide the community, and that is why. I was very pleased indeed
when I found you had given your consent to reorganize the All India
Muslim League under your
