Pakistan celebrates 75th Independence Day amid pandemic

Countrywide rallies, flag-hoisting ceremonies, and fireworks marked the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan on Saturday, amid increasing coronavirus cases and casualties across the South Asian country.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in capital Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in all the four provincial capitals, followed by change-of-guards ceremonies at the mausoleums of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the port city of Karachi, and Allama Mohammad Iqbal, the national poet, in the northeastern city of Lahore.

Riding motorbikes and carrying green-white national flags, groups of youths marched on the roads in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and other cities to mark the event.

The main ceremony was held at the President's Office where President Arif Alvi hoisted the national flag. Heads of the lower house National Assembly, and the upper house Senate, chiefs of the three armed forces, and senior government officials also attended the ceremony.

The president conferred some 126 civil awards on Pakistani citizens and foreign nationals for showing excellence and courage in their respective fields, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Flag-hoisting ceremonies were also held at the headquarters of the army, navy, and air force.

A similar ceremony was held in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the newly elected Prime Minister Abdul Qayyum Niazi hoisted the Pakistani flag.

Addressing the ceremony at the President's Office, Alvi paid tribute to the nation's founding fathers, observing that Pakistan has the potential to become a developed country.

Lauding the sacrifices of the armed forces and the citizens in the fight against terrorism, the president said Islamabad would continue its fights against the menace.

Calling for peace in neighboring Afghanistan, he drew the attention of the international community towards "human rights abuses" in Indian-administered Kashmir.

He accused the Indian government of moving towards "genocide" in Kashmir, adding that due to the influence of the "Hindutva ideology" in India, peace in the region was not possible.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.

- ‘Pakistan can stand tall’

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a series of tweets, said the nation would overcome the challenges it faced today with its characteristics, and determination and come out stronger as a nation.

"Pakistan today can stand tall among the comity of nations. Our policies towards reviving the economy, handling the pandemic, and protecting the environment have received universal acclaim," he said.

Extending Islamabad's support to the "freedom struggle" in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan’s prime minister said Kashmiris are looking up to the international community to fulfill the promises made to them.

Pakistan, he further said, will continue to support a negotiated political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.