Toronto – At the invitation of the Embassy of Afghanistan and the Afghan General Consulate in Toronto, Shaheed Day on the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Shaheed Ahmad Shah Massoud, Afghanistan’s National Hero, was held at the Acrobat Hall in Toronto on Saturday.

More than 150 Afghans were invited to commemorate this national day of remembrance and national unity. Through speeches and poetry, members of the community expressed their feelings and thoughts by eulogizing the late resistance leader Massoud, and all Afghans who lost their lives in the past three decades fighting for their country’s freedom and independence.

Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada, read excerpts from President’s Hamid Karzai’s speech on that occasion, and emphasized on the significance of Massoud’s role in contemporary Afghan as well as world history. He also named other Afghan figures who gave their lives for their country since the 1970s.

Embassy Counsellor, Mr. Mehrabodin Masstan, shared personal accounts of his association with the late Shaheed Massoud, while Consul General, Mr. Whaeed Monawar, talked about the significance of Massoud’s legacy at a time when Afghanistan is undergoing new challenges. He also urged Afghans to take their people’s wishes into account, and not be misled by those who continue to act against Afghanistan’s national interests.

The gathering ended with prayers for peace, security and progress in a free and prosperous Afghanistan.