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Pakistan celebrates 68th Independence Day

14 August 2014 19:46 (UTC +04:00)

The day started with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital of Islamabad and 21-gun salutes in all the four provincial capitals; Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.

Special prayers were offered for the prosperity, integrity and solidarity of the country.

Pakistan's Independence Day is observed annually on Aug. 14 to commemorate the day when Muslims of the Indian subcontinent achieved a separate homeland and was declared a sovereign nation, following the end of the British rule in 1947.

The main flag hoisting ceremony was held at the presidency in Islamabad where President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hoisted the national flag. The ceremony was attended by the federal ministers, services chiefs and other military officials.

In his Independence Day address, Sharif paid tributes to the security forces fighting the militants in the country's northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan.

On the occasion, a special parade of armed forces and a fly- past ceremony were held in front of the parliament that was attended by PM Sharif and foreign diplomats.

Flag-hoisting ceremonies was also held at provincial capitals and district headquarters besides other important national institutions.

Different organization hosted a number of events, including seminars, conferences, lectures, debates, speech contests, exhibitions, quiz competitions and stage dramas.

All the major public and private buildings, roads, avenues and markets were decorated with illuminations, national flags, portraits of the national leaders, banners and buntings.

Young people, especially children, enthusiastically purchased the national flags, bunting, posters, stickers and candles and decorated their homes.

State-run and private televisions and radio networks aired special programs to mark the day by telecasting special reports on the struggle for independence, the Independence Day celebrations, national songs, multiple contests, live music shows, features, documentaries and interviews.