*ISLAMABAD:* For the first time, Indian military officials and diplomatsposted in Islamabad attended the Friday’s military parade held in thefederal capital to mark the Pakistan Day.

The move comes at a time when tensions have been simmering betweenIslamabad and New Delhi for months over frequent incidents of clashes alongthe Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB) as well asallegations of harassment of diplomatic staff posted in each other’scountry.

The Pakistan Army had invited Indian defence attaché and senior diplomatsof the Indian High Commission to join the March 23 celebrations, accordingto sources. “It was an initiative of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) GeneralQamar Javed Bajwa and aimed at sending a message of peace to India. Thepurpose behind inviting Indian military representatives is to send amessage that Pakistan stands for peace, while keeping itself ready todefend every inch of the country in case of any misadventure”.

In another first, a military contingent of United Arab Emirates (UAE) alsoparticipated in the Pakistan Day parade held at the Shakarparian ParadeAvenue.

Besides the UAE contingent, a military band from Jordan took part in theparade, also for the first time. Another feature of this year’s PakistanDay parade was the participation of Turkish Air Force planes, whichdisplayed breath-taking skills along with Pakistan Air Force jets.