As the country celebrated Pakistan Day on Wednesday, the armed forces displayed their might in the annual military parade in Islamabad, while dignitaries participated in the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) watched as guests of honour.
Pakistan Day commemorates the passing of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire. According to Radio Pakistan, the day started off with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals.
A change of guards ceremony was also held at the mausoleums of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore, respectively. Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr prayers for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. The main feature of the day was the grand military parade in Islamabad, in which the three contingents of the armed forces and other security forces conducted a march, while fighter planes presented aerobatic manoeuvres. Troops from other countries, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, also participated in the parade.
