The 140th birth anniversary of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, is being celebrated here on December 25 (today) with great fervor.

The day is a public holiday and the national flag is being hoisted on principal government buildings throughout the country. The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for the country's progress and prosperity.

The main event of the day took place at the Quaid's mausoleum in Karachi with the change of guard. Cadets from the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, assumed the duty of ceremonial guards at the mausoleum.

Functions are being held across the country to pay homage to the father of the nation and to highlight his achievements and principles.

The Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) and the Ministry of Culture will hold cultural programmes in the federal and provincial Capitals to mark the day. A ceremony is being held at Liaquat Gymnasium at the Sports Complex in Islamabad on Sunday.

A large number of school children would participate in the event, being organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with Capital Administration and Development Division (CAAD). There would be a grand scale display of Quaid's portraits, Pakistan flag and Flowers of Pakistan by children.

Leading educationist Professor Tariq Jilani, who is associated with the field of education for the last 50 years, told Business Recorder that Pakistan movement was the movement of those people who wanted to practice their religion and customs without any interference.

Paying tributes to the Father of Nation, Professor Jilani said, "Quaid-e-Azam believed that Muslim Hindu unity in India was possible but over the years the relationship between the Hindu and Muslim communities had deteriorated to such a point that he reluctantly accepted that the best way to protect the rights of Indian Muslims was through partition."

In 1940, Quaid suggested the idea of the partition of India to create Pakistan and led negotiations with the British government. This resulted in the partition of India and the creation of the state of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.

Professor Jilani said, "Quaid's first priority was to address educational and financial issues due to which immediately after getting freedom, he summoned two conferences to compose educational and financial policies but he did not get enough time to implement his vision."

"Pakistan came into being to achieve greater goals but we ignored all of them. First of all we ignored our national language," Jilani said, who was former head of History Department, FC College, Lahore. He said the formation of Pakistan is not only significant in the international history but also important in the sub-continent.