Address to Officers and men of 3rd Armoured Brigade, Risalpur on 13th April, 1948
I am pleased to have visited you today at your Headquarters. "Risalpur",
as the name indicates had been the home of Cavalry for a long time. For
centuries the cavalry has been regarded as the "Corps d'elite of every
nation. A1though you have now changed your mounts for the awe-inspiring
machines--the tanks, your perseverance, patience, coolness and dash that
had to be displayed by a cavalier, must still remain your guiding light.
Your Brigade is the only one of its kind in the Pakistan Army, in fact,
in the whole of Muslim world. This unique distinction that you enjoy is
a befitting compliment to the biggest Muslim State.
Your victories and achievements in World War II are too well known for
me to recount. Your Brigade invariably formed the spearhead of the Fourteenth
Army's advance from Manipur Road to Rangoon, and the privilege of continuing
to wear the famous Fourteenth Army badge by your Brigade is befitting of
your deeds.
Since the establishment of Pakistan almost every unit of this Brigade
has been reformed, and within this short period of 8 months you have knit
yourself into a formidable team. All this happened while you were continuously
being called upon to perform multifarious duties, such as evacuating millions
of stranded Muslims from the Eastern Punjab, and State, and maintaining
law and order within your own borders. This is a great achievement in itself
and can only be attributed to the high morale, integrity, and selfless
devotion to duty and loyalty. I have no doubt that you will always be prepared
to take on any hazardous duty which you may be called upon to perform.
Lastly, I would like to mention how pleased I am to see this formation
which is fully equipped and trained to fight with up-to-date and modern
instruments. This is indicative of a nation's fitness to take an equal
place with other big nations of the world.
Pakistan Zindabad