ISLAMABAD: The 78th Pakistan Day was celebrated with an impressive militaryparade in Shakarparian ground of Islamabad on Friday.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was the guest of honor at theevent.
President Mamnoon Hussain was received by Prime Minister Shahid KhaqanAbbasi after which he inspected the military parade.
Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, then led a fly-past, followed byseveral other squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force as a salute to the headof the state.
In his speech, President Mamnoon Hussain praised the country’s people andarmed forces for their resolve.
Later, the armed forces began the parade, saluting the chief guests as theypassed by. They included various units and formations of the armed forces.
Armed forces of Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Jordan also participatedin the military parade.
PAF fighter jets conducted fly-pasts with breath-taking maneuvers, wowingthe audience.
In the end, commandos from the tri-services conducted a para-drop withexemplary skills after which a national song was performed.
Defense Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan Safron Minister Abdul Qadir Khan andthe heads of all three armed forces of the country including army, navy andair force as well as the joint chiefs’ chairperson were present at theparade.
An award ceremony is also on the agenda for later in the day, to be held atAiwan-e-Sadar, where the president will be conferring awards to variouspersonalities on their contribution to different fields.
The day dawned with 31- and 21-gun salutes in the federal and provincialcapitals, respectively, while the national flag was hoisted atop governmentbuildings and departments.
Several buildings, including the Lahore Railway Station, WAPDA House, andthe Provincial Assembly building, would be decorated with lights andcolorful buntings to mark the day.