By Taj Nabi Khan
ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (APP): Pakistan observes ‘Independence Day’ as ‘National Day’ every year on August 14th with patriotic spirit and devotion to commemorate the day when the country was declared an independent state after a long indigenous struggle against the British colonial rule (British Raj) for a separate Muslim state in the subcontinent.
The country came into existence after a long struggle of the All-India Muslim League under the visionary leadership of the founding father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The partition and creation of a sovereign Muslim state was the dream of millions of Muslims of the subcontinent. For the purpose of a separate homeland, the Muslims had rendered matchless sacrifices, faced hardships, migration, and left a long trail of heroic struggle for the generations to come.
The partition had also witnessed a huge migration in human history: Muslims from India to Pakistan and Hindus from Pakistan to India.
The beginning of the journey is always tough and in the case of the newly established state of Pakistan, it was full of challenges due to getting an unjust share in the resources from India. It was like starting life from scratch but the dreams were high to make the impossible journey possible with consistent efforts of the forefathers.
Independence Day was also special for the Muslims as it coincided with the 27th Ramadan, the eve of Layla tul-Qadr in the year 1947.
Therefore, it was an added reason for the Muslims to have bigger celebrations on the occasion.
As the day gets closer, celebratory items such as flags, green and white independence balloons, Pakistan Zindabad wristbands, 14 August hats, customize mugs, green masks, paper flag banners, and Pakistan flag badges, etc are being displayed on roadsides and shops to attract citizens.
The youth and children are more excited to see the stalls of celebratory items and the decoration of their homes.
On the day, most people hoist flags on top of their homes, vehicles, attire and decorate their residences with celebratory items.
The day is also marked with celebratory events of flag-raising ceremonies, parades, change of guards, cultural events, award-winning ceremonies, patriotic songs, and the national anthem.
The Pakistani diaspora and missions around the globe also celebrate the day with patriotic zeal.
Talking to APP, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Prof. Dr. Mehr Taj Roghani said, “The Independence Day reminds us of the matchless struggle of the freedom fighters and our ancestors for the motherland against the oppression of the colonizers.”
She said, no doubt freedom was a great blessing from Allah (SWT) and the young generation was in need to know the real worth of it to become more responsible citizens.
While talking to this news agency, Islamabad-based working Journalist Sophia Siddique said that vibrant nations around the globe celebrate independence days with full devotion to demonstrate their sovereignty and freedom.
She said that freedom brought lots of responsibilities on the shoulders of the citizens as at the same time they needed to show respect for the rule of law, democracy, and supremacy of the Constitution.
She urged the youngsters to celebrate the day in a dignified manner with constructive contributions.
Roghani said, “For the bright future of the country, collective efforts are needed on part of the whole society to focus on character building of the youngsters and socio-economic well being of the nation.”
She said the nation must recognize and remember its heroes from all walks of life, particularly those who had laid down their lives for the motherland.
Siddique said the government should give specific themes to the day like “Tree Plantation”, “Corruption Free Pakistan” etc each year while motivating the youth to participate in such constructive activities on Independence Day.
She said that it was important to create awareness among the youth about the national heroes.
The country could only get on the track to progress when it would be aligned with the vision of its founding father, she added.