Nation Celebrates 65th 'Pakistan Day' Today
By Maria A Khan - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Day will be celebrated throughout the country today with zeal and Ferver with a renewed pledge to make efforts for the progress and prosperity of the country and promoting unity among the nation to achieve the goals of creation of Pakistan.

The Day will dawn with thirty one gun salute in the Federal and twenty one gun salute in the Provincial capitals. Special prayers will be offered after Namaz Fajr in the mosques for solidarity, integrity and prosperity of the country.

It will be a public holiday and national flag will be hoisting at all principal public and private buildings.

Parade

Special feature of the Day will be Pak-Day parade which would be held at Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam Islamabad early in the morning which is being held after a break of three years.

Contingents of Pakistan Armed Forces and para-military forces would take part in the march past.

President General Pervez Musharraf will review the parade and take salute. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will also present on the occasion. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be special guest in the parade.

Latest defence equipment being used by Pak Army, Navy and Air Force will be displayed in the event. A special investiture ceremony will also be held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in the evening where the President will decorate the receipants of awards to the officers of the armed forces and civilians for their excellent services in various fields.

Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television will broadcast special programmes to highlight the importance of the occasion besides newspapers will published special edition.

Civil Award Ceremonies

To promote a greater sense of participation at the provincial level on the Pakistan Day, this year the Pakistan Civil Award ceremonies will be held at each of the provincial headquarters on March 23 in addition to the investiture ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

In this way the recipients of the awards will now have the satisfaction of being joined by their family members on an auspicious moment in their lives.

The Civil Awards are announced every year on 14th August (Independence Day) and the actual ceremony to confer these Awards takes place on the Pakistan Day. This year the President has been pleased to confer 133 Civil Awards.

Accordingly, this year arrangements have been made in all the provinces, whereby the Provincial Governors will confer the Awards on behalf of the President in categories up to Sitara alongwith President’s Award for Pride of Performance to the recipients belonging to respective Provinces.

Military awards in similar categories are already being conferred under decentralized arrangements by respective services.

Hilal, Nishan and Shujaat

Investiture Ceremony for the awards in the categories of Hilal and Nishan as well as of Shujaat will be held in the Presidency today, March-23. It has been decided to confer all gallantry awards, which were previously decentralized, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Arrangements have also been finalized for conferment of Civil Awards on Pakistan Day to 12 foreigners in the respective Pakistan missions abroad.

The awards are in recognition of the contribution of men and women who have rendered meritorious service to the country in their respective fields of activity or performed exemplary acts of gallantry. The Awards fall in the categories of Order of Pakistan, Shujaat, Quaid-i-Azam and Khidmat. Each Order has four categories, namely, Nishan, Hilal, Sitara and Tamgha. In addition, the President honours persons through award of Pride of Performance for excellence in Arts, Science, Literature, Sports and Nursing.

Ceremonies

And a report from Lahore says that like other areas of the country, the Pakistan Day celebrations in the provincial metropolis will dawn with special prayers at all the major Mosques.

Various political, social and cultural organisations will organise seminars and meetings to highlight the significance of the day.

In the Punjab capital, a ceremony will be held to mount PAF Guards and lay floral wreath on the mausoleum of poet- philosopher Allama Iqbal.

Air Commodore Sohail Asghar, Base Commander PAF Base, Lahore will be the chief guest on this occasion.

Nazriya-e-Pakistan Foundation will organise Pakistan Day function at its Shahrah-e-Quaid-i-Azam premises. Editor-in- Chief, Nawa-e-Waqt, Majid Nizami will be the chief guest.

All the banks, business centres, stock market, educational institutions and public and private offices will remain closed on the day.●