The nation is celebrating Pakistan Day on Monday with highly-anticipated joint military parade by the armed forces of Pakistan taking place in federal capital Islamabad after a gap of seven years.
The nation celebrates the day to commemorate the historic Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940, a day that marks the birth of a separate state for Muslims with the pledge to work hard for the progress, prosperity and stability of the country.
The Day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals. Special prayers were offered in mosques after morning prayers for the integrity and solidarity of the country.
It is a public holiday and national flag is being hoisted on major government buildings. Various political, social, religious, and literary organizations will arrange functions to highlight importance of Pakistan Resolution that paved the way for the creation of an independent homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent.
The conventional military parade, held after a gap of seven years at the newly constructed Parade Ground, is the hallmark of the celebrations this morning.
The joint military parade is a display of military power and show of Pakistan's folk culture, which captured the imagination of the public quite like the traditional parade, with its impressive march-pasts and aerial shows.
President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reviewed the march past and salute presented by contingents of the armed forces of Pakistan. Cell phone and wireless Internet services remained suspended, as part of security measures in Islamabad with over 1200 policemen performing their duty to avoid any unfortunate incident.