BAHAWALPUR: All the government and semi-government institutions held special functions to mark the 70th Independence Day.

The city’s main event was held at the hockey ground of Dring Stadium where district council chairman Dilshad Qureshi performed the flag-hoisting ceremony. LHC (Bahawalpur Bench) judges Abdul Shahid Mubeen and Abdul Rehman hoisted the national flag at the high court building.

Commissioner Saqib Zafar and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rana Saleem Afzal visited the Borstal Jail where they distributed sweets and gifts among the inmates. A function was held on the lawns along the Derawari Cannon where the lamps were lit and a display of fireworks was carried out.

The Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and Ashraf Sugar Mills and the school for the blind also held functions.

SAHIWAL: Divisional and district administration hosted a flag-hoisting ceremony at Zafar Ali Hockey Stadium. The flag was hoisted by Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Malik Nadeem Kamran in the ceremony which had entertainment events, sports contests, parade of police band, exhibition of paintings and performances of national songs and tableaus by the students.

A day earlier, the Harappa Museum, in collaboration the Sahiwal Art Council, organised Azadi Lok Mela on the lawns of Harappa Museum. The festival had folk dances, folk music and performances by the students of public schools. The main event of the festival was a street play, Sanjh Day Botay Layya, by the Sandal Group, Faisalabad.

A flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the Government Postgraduate College Sahiwal while more than 300 college teachers from the district held a peace march from the College Chowk to Commissioner Office. Teachers of the Government College for Women also arranged a walk from the college to Faridiya Park.

The Punjab College, Concordia College, Awaz Society, journalists and representatives of the civil society organisations participated in march held from the Jogi Chowk to TMA office.

SIALKOT: Minister for Local Bodies Manshaullah Butt, MPAs Chaudhry Tariq Akhtar Subhani and Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram, acting Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Dr Umer Sher Chatha, Mayor Chaudhry Tauheed Akhtar and District Council chairperson Hina Arshad Warraich jointly hoisted the national flag at the Sialkot Fort.

The government and private buildings, including Iqbal Manzil and Govt Murray College, were decorated. Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan led a rally of the party workers from village Koobey Chak to Sialkot city.

In Daska, MNA Dr Shakeela Luqman led a rally while flag-hoisting ceremonies were held in Daska, Sambrial, Bhopalwala, Uggoki, Pasrur, Badiana, Chawinda, Zafarwal and Shakargarh.

OKARA: Functions were held at DC office, District Council, MCs Okara, Depalpur, Renala Khurd, Basirpur, Haveli Lakha, Hujrah Shah Muqeem and Mandi Ahmadabad. DC Saima Ahad, district council Chairman Malik Ali Qadir Abbas, DPO Hassan Asad Alvi and MNAs and MPAs attended the function.

TOBA TEK SINGH: A function was held at the District Council Complex which was addressed by MNAs Chaudhry Asadur Rehman and Chaudhry Khalid Javed Warraich.

At DC office, a gathering was addressed by DC Muazzam Sipra, MPAs Mian Rafiq and Amjad Javed and ex-district nazim Chaudhry Abdul Sattar.

BAHAWALNAGAR: The main ceremony was held at Haider Stadium which was attended by DC Azhar Hayat, DPO Liaqat Ali Malik, MPA Rana Abdur Rauf, district council Chairman Qalandar Hasnain and Assistant Commissioner (AC) Abdul Jabbar Gujjar.

DC Azhar Hayat, DPO Liaqat Ali Malik and MPA Rana Abdur Rauf addressed the ceremony.

GUJRANWALA: A flag-hosting ceremony was organised at the Commissioner Office. Commissioner retired Captain Muhammad Asif, RPO Muhammad Tahir, DC Muhammad Aamir Jan, MNAs and MPAs participated in it.

Similar ceremonies were held at the sessions court, Gepco Office, Gift University and Gujranwala Central Jail and other places.

MIANWALI: The main flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the lawns of Municipal Committee building where DC Shozaib Saeed hoisted the flag in presence of district council chairman Gul Hameed Khan Rokhri and Municipal Committee chairman Haji Abdul Karim Sajid.

A ceremony held at Police Lines where DPO Sadiq Ali Dogar hoisted the flag besides a similar event at Rescue 1122 building.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2017