Nation celebrating Independence Day with great fervour

By Peter Gill : The 62nd Independence Day is being celebrated throughout the country as well as Azad Kashmir and abroad on Thursday with a pledge to make the country a truly Islamic welfare state in accordance with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Hazrat Allama Iqbal.

The day dawned with the offering of special prayers in mosques for the stability and prosperity of the motherland and well-being of the Muslim Ummah. The 31-gun salute held in federal capital and 21-gun salute at the provincial capitals. After sounding of sirens at 8.58 am, the entire traffic halted for one minute and citizens observed silence as national anthem was played.

Flag hoisting ceremonies held across the country. In the flag hoisting ceremony held at Islamabad, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has unfurled the national flag. Education institutions has arranged special functions such as speech contests and national songs competitions to mark the day.

Apart from this, various other functions are in full swing in a bid to highlight the democratic struggle of workers of Pakistan Movement for achievement of Pakistan and to promote national unity, integrity and solidarity. Special programmes are being presented on TV channels and radio stations to highlight the significance of the day while newspapers brought out special supplements. National flag is flying atop the government and private buildings. People have also decorated their homes and offices with national flags and buntings.

All the government and private buildings of the city are illuminated and national flags are hoisted on them. An analyst say the Independence Day reminds us the unforgettable contributions of our great leaders of Pakistan Movement who devoted their lives for acquiring an independent state where Muslims of Indo-Pak subcontinent could live freely.