Pakistan marks National Day with traditional fervor

Pakistan marked its National Day on Tuesday with rallies, seminars and flag-hoisting ceremonies.

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

This was followed by change-of-guards ceremonies at the mausoleums of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the South Asian nation, in the port city of Karachi, and Allama Mohammad Iqbal, the national poet, in northeastern city of Lahore.

Similar ceremonies were also held in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, state-run Pakistan Television reported.

A traditional military parade, which is usually the main event of the day, has been rescheduled for March 25 due to rains and inclement weather in the capital.

A famed Turkish Air Force aerobatic team will also showcase their unique display during the military parade.

Turkish F-16 demo and stunt team SOLOTURK performed its first demonstration in 2011.

The day commemorates the passage of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940 in which the Muslim leaders of the sub-continent set the agenda of a separate homeland for Muslims.

On March 23, 1956, the country also adopted its first Constitution, making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic.

MESSAGES

Local and international leaders congratulated Pakistanis on the occasion.

In separate messages, Saudi King Salman bin Abdel Aziz and Crown Prince Mohamad bin Salman congratulated Pakistanis and prayed for the country's progress and prosperity.

President Arif Alvi and the Prime Minister Imran Khan in separate messages urged the public to continue efforts to make the country a "truly democratic and welfare state."

The two leaders ceased the opportunity to reiterate Islamabad's support to the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The world must take notice of blatant human rights violations being committed by India in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir," Alvi said.

The key to durable peace in South Asia, he said, is resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Khan, in his message, reaffirmed his government's commitment to make Pakistan a "humane, progressive and prosperous state."

Expressing solidarity with Kashmiris, he said: "We salute their courage and will continue to support them morally, politically and diplomatically for realization of their right to self-determination under relevant UNSC resolutions."

US President Joe Biden also sent a message to Pakistan, according to the President's Office.

"President @JoeBiden congratulated President @ArifAlvi & Pakistani Nation on #PakistanResolutionDay. He said that US-Pak partnership is based on common goal of regional peace & prosperity. US & Pak would work for peace in Afghanistan, address COVID-19 and climate change," according to a tweet.