Pakistan Day celebrated with military parade

Pakistan Day is being celebrated across the country with national zeal and fervour.

The nation commenced celebrations for the 77th Pakistan Day with a pledge to make the country stronger by wiping out the menace of terrorism, achieving sustainable economic growth and political stability.

The day marks the historic Lahore Resolution of 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals.

The highlight of the day is the joint military parade, which was held at Parade Ground near the Shakarparian hills in Islamabad.

Pak President Mamnoon Hussain was the chief guest at the event. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad

Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sohail Aman and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif witnessed the parade.The ceremony commenced with the singing of the national anthem, after which the president observed the parade from a jeep.

Chinese and Saudi troops and a Turkish military band also featured at the event.

The military parade resumed in 2015 after a gap of seven years and was seen as a manifestation of the military's show of strength in the wake of a shocking attack in 2014 on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, which left 150 dead, including 132 schoolchildren.

Chinese, Saudi troops march in parade 

Contingents of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Frontier Corps and Pakistan Rangers held a march-past and a salute to the president of Pakistan.

Troops of the parade included contingents of the 18 Punjab Regiment, 21 Frontier Force Regiment, 10 Northern Light Infantry Regiment, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air force, 760 Mujahid Battalion, Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Rangers Punjab, Pakistan Police (represented by the Islamabad Police), Tri Services Lady Officers, Tri Services Armed Forces Nursing

Services, Boy Scouts, Pakistan Girl Guides, Special Services Group, and President Bodyguards.The parade also included marches by the Saudi Special Forces, who were represented by the Saudi Land Forces, as well as the Tri Services People's Liberation Army of China.

Turkish military band 'Mehtar' performed in their traditional costume and played various tunes including 'Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan'. Formed in 1299, Mehtar is considered one of the oldest bands in the world.

Al Khalid and Al Zarrar tanks roll in 

Pakistan Army tanks, including the Al Khalid and Al Zarrar, presented gun salutes to the chief guest.During the parade radars systems and other weapons equipped with military technology were also presented. The NASR missile, which hosts a 60 kilometre range; the Shaheen missile with a range of 900km; the Ghauri missile system, which can hit targets of up to 1,300km in range; and the Babur cruise missile were also rolled out in the parade.

With a highly precise guidance system and the capability to reach targets 2,750km away, the Shaheen-III missile was also showcased during the event.

Army Aviation fly-past 

Various aircraft belonging to Army Aviation and Pakistan Air Force performed a fly-past and demonstrated aerobatic feats for the audience present.

AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, Fennec helicopters, Skyraiders, Mi-17 transport helicopters and Puma transport helicopters were part of Army Aviation's fly-past contingent.Army Aviation's fly past was followed by an aerobatic performance by the PAF's Sherdils. JF-17 Thunder and a F-16 fighter from the storied No.9 Squadron of the PAF wowed the audience.

Pakistan on Thursday expressed hope that its ties with India will improve in the near future and the "primary" issue of Kashmir will be resolved amicably.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark Pakistan Day at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Thursday, Pakistan's top envoy in India, Abdul Basit, said Pakistan has always tried to maintain cordial relations with all of its neighbours, including India.

"We hope that our relations will improve," he said, expressing optimism that roadblocks in Indo-Pak ties will be eliminated."We will resolve all of our issues peacefully, especially the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the primary issue for Pakistan-India [ties]... we will resolve it according to the will of the Kashmiri people."

The high commissioner said Pakistan is certain that the freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people will eventually succeed.

Indian president sends greetings  

As the nation commenced celebrations for 77th Pakistan Day on Thursday, the president of India took the opportunity to extend greetings to its neighbour.Indian President Pranab Mukherjee took to Twitter to wish Pakistan on its national day. "Greetings to the government and people of Pakistan on their National Day," Mukherjee wrote, adding that India is committed to building ties with Pakistan in an environment free from terror and violence.