Nation celebrates Pakistan Day 2024 with impressive military parade

• Grand military parade main feature of Pakistan day.
• President Zardari, PM Shehbaz attend parade.
• Saudi defence minister chief guest of today's event.

ISLAMABAD: The nation on Saturday celebrated Pakistan Day with a renewed pledge to work hard for the progress and stability of the country.

The main feature of the day was the grand parade in Islamabad where contingents of three armed forces and other security forces conducted a march past in a show of military might.

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu led the flypast which included the J-10C and F-7PG fighter aircraft.

Different aircraft and helicopters belonging to the Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, and Army Aviation demonstrated aerobatic feats for the audience present at the Parade Ground while skydivers of airborne units also demonstrated their skills.

Later, the parade showcased the local cultures of the four provinces.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud was the guest of honour in today’s event while the contingents of China and Azerbaijan also featured in the parade.

President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and all the services chiefs were present at the occasion.

Pakistan Day

The day marks the adoption of the historic Lahore Resolution on this day in 1940 which provided a framework for the realisation of the goal of a separate homeland for Muslims of South Asia.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in provincial capitals.

Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr prayer for the prosperity and solidarity of the country. The national flag was hoisted on major government buildings.

Change of guard ceremonies were held at the mausoleums of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and Dr Allama Iqbal in Lahore.

Air Vice Marshal Tariq Mahmood was the chief guest at the ceremony held at Iqbal's mausoleum in Lahore where Pakistan Airforce troops took over guard duty from Chenab Rangers.

Zardari calls parties to unite for Pakistan’s development

President Asif Ali Zardari began his speech by welcoming Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman Khalid Bin Aziz, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, members of parliament, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and parade commander.

President Zardari, in his address, said that March 23 holds national importance as on this day, Muslims of the subcontinent demanded a separate nation for themselves.

"Today, we pay homage to leaders, martyrs and ghazis who sacrificed their lives for independence," said the president, adding that the Pakistani nation, from its independence till today, has gone through ups and downs.

"Despite the difficulties, we developed in different areas including defence, agriculture, education, health, and technology," he mentioned.

The president said that Pakistan is a strong country in terms of defence and the country's armed forces are always ready for the nation.

Speaking about the issues being faced by the nation, Zardari said that the country is facing economic, social and political challenges, as well as increasing population, climate change, education and poverty.

He added that Pakistan went through a successful electoral phase to elect a democratic government, adding that it was now everyone's responsibility to solve these issues together.

"I believe that just like we faced the challenges in the past, we can still rid Pakistan of these challenges. A special investment facilitation council has been set up for the country's economy. Through this plan, we will attract foreign investment and develop agriculture, livestock, minerals, mining, information technology and energy sectors," he said.

“I request all political parties to keep aside their political benefits to find a solution to the problems and work together for the development of Pakistan,” said President Zardari.

He added: “In our region, one of the main reasons for instability is the Indian Illegal Occupation of Jammu & Kashmir. The Kashmiri people have been demanding their right to self-determination for 76 years. We condemn the brutalities and human rights violations carried out by the Indian government against innocent and unarmed Kashmiri people and ask the international community to ensure the implementation of the UNSC resolution on Kashmir.

“I want to remind the Kashmiris once again that the people of Pakistan will always stand by them in their just struggle against trinity.”

The president said, "With regards to human catastrophes unfolding in Gaza, we appeal to the international community to take measures to ensure that the killing of innocent Palestinian people including children and women is immediately halted, a ceasefire is announced and a humanitarian corridor is opened at priority. Pakistan will continue to support the people of Palestine till the resolution of the Palestine issue as per the aspirations of their people.”

Highlighting the security challenges, the president said that Pakistan wants relations with all its neighbours as it is a peace-loving country and a responsible state.

“However, we will not compromise on our sovereignty. Our nation and armed forces are always ready to respond to any aggression at all times. We will not tolerate any efforts by terrorists or any groups to destabilise our country. Today’s parade is a reminder of our unity, strength and pride.”

In his concluding remarks, the president thanked China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey and other countries for standing with Pakistan in hard times.