MULTAN, Aug 12 (APP):As Pakistan unfurls its green and white flags this Aug 14 to mark its Independence Day, a wave of celebration is sweeping the nation, this time supercharged with a historic victory in Bunyanum Marsoos, a cross-border retribution operation of the Pakistan Armed Forces that has captured global attention.
It is not often that a national holiday comes with a real-time reminder of pride, resilience, and unity. Yet this year, the triumph in Bunyanum Marsoos (The Wall of Lead) has given new meaning to the patriotic spirit surging through the country. Streets that would normally be filled with flags, buntings, and national songs are now echoing with chants of “Long live Pakistan Army!” and “Pakistan Zindabad!”, blending the joy of freedom with the pride of a military feat that reaffirmed Pakistan’s regional standing.
The operation, code-named Bunyanum Marsoos was launched in response to an unprovoked attack by India after leveling baseless allegations against Pakistan. Pakistan responded with an art of retribution touching the heights of excellence, downing fighter jets of the enemy forces.
What makes this victory monumental is not just the tactical brilliance with which it was executed, but the symbolism it carries. For many, it is seen as the reassertion of Pakistan’s right to peace, stability, and territorial integrity amid ceaseless attempts by India to harm peace and stability in Pakistan and disturb regional peace, said Dr Anwaar Ahmad Khan, the former Chairman National Language Authority.
The final announcement of success, made a few months before August 14, was greeted with fireworks not just in Islamabad or Rawalpindi but in towns and villages across the country. For once, the nation felt united, not just in festivity, but in purpose. The victory announcement ran through the blood across the nation and transformed into jubilations within no time.
“It felt as though we had rediscovered ourselves, it was the rediscovery of who we truly are,” says the noted intellectual, writer and educationist Prof Dr Hameed Raza Siddiqui. He told APP, Pakistan was founded after numerous sacrifices, a million including children and women lost their lives and around 10 million migrated in perhaps history’s biggest migration in the world. Former director colleges said, India never accepted Pakistan’s existence since independence and continued to engage in anti-Pakistan activities with unrest in Balochistan being the latest example where the India-backed terrorists were causing unrest through attacks on innocent civilians. “We are proud of our armed forces who always stood in way of all nefarious Indian designs, Mr. Siddiqui said.
This year’s Independence Day festivities are more than just ceremonial. From Multan’s historic Ghanta Ghar to Karachi’s Sea View, from Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar to the serene valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan, people are not only celebrating 1947, they are honoring 2025.
In Multan, schoolchildren and adults marched on the roads wearing Jinah caps and raising slogans in support of Pakistan Armed Forces.
Senior civil and police officials lit candle lights and offered Fatiha for the ‘Shuhada’ of Maarka-e-Haq and attended many ceremonies with hundreds in attendance since Aug 1, 2025 to celebrate the independence day and Maarka-e-Haq across Multan district. The ceremonies would conclude on Aug 14.
Children pasted posters of national heroes and decorated their classrooms with hand-painted maps of Pakistan. Political parties and social welfare organizations and community leaders held special gatherings to honor the security forces.
While Independence Day often sees nationalistic fervor peak, this year’s mood is different, more profound than ever. For the younger generation, many of whom have grown up amid news of militancy and cross-border tensions, Bunyanum Marsoos feels like a long-awaited turning point.
“I’ve never seen such genuine unity. For once, we’re not divided by political slogans. We’re just Pakistani,” said Tariq Javed, a young poet from Kabirwala with three poetry books to his credit.
Prof Dr Anwaar Ahmad Khan said, Maarka-e-Haq was a testimony to the fact that armed forces of Pakistan were always ready to defend the motherland against any external threat. “We emerged not just victorious but renewed in spirit and our actual identity.”
Dr Anwaar hoped the dual celebration of freedom and victory and the momentum of national pride can be transformed into civic responsibility, economic resilience and a launch pad for a robust development trajectory for Pakistan.
As the sun sets on Aug 14, 2025, the green and white flag flutters over a nation not just free, but freshly victorious. And for millions, that is more than just icing on the cake, its the sweet taste of dignity regained.
