KARACHI: Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day celebrations in the city began with gun salutes and a smart change of guard ceremony at the Mazar-i-Quaid here on Saturday. Alongside gun salutes, there were flag hoisting, singing of the national anthem and national songs, walks, races, rallies, etc.

A smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan Naval Academy in ceremonial attire assumed guard duties at Mazar-i-Quaid early in the morning. Commandant Pakistan Naval Academy Commodore Sohail Ahmed Azmie graced the occasion as the chief guest and reviewed the guard. The chief guest and the Pakistan Navy contingent presented the qaumi salam to the Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah. This was followed by the laying of a wreath on behalf of the chief of the naval staff, and the officers and men of the Pakistan Navy. The chief guest also offered fateha and recorded his remarks in the visitor’s book by paying rich tributes to the beloved Quaid.

The day dawned with a gun salute by the Pakistan Navy and special prayers in all mosques and other places of worship for the solidarity and progress of the country. Pakistan Navy Ships and establishments were illuminated in a traditional manner. Flag hoisting ceremonies were held at various units of the Pakistan Navy in Karachi, Gwadar and Ormara, Lahore and Islamabad along with numerous other events, including a graceful display of the Pakistan Navy band.

Tens of thousands take part in scores of events

Pakistan Navy also organised a mangroves plantation exercise as part of its ‘Own a Tree’ campaign in collaboration with the Sindh forest department at Satawa Creeks and Shah Bandar. The mangroves plantation campaign will continue till August 20 and about 100,000 mangroves/saplings will be planted at Shah Bandar to provide a safe and healthy environment for the future generations.

There were also boat rallies held at Gwadar and Ormara.

On the occasion of Independence Day 2021, the president of Pakistan also approved military and civil awards to officers and civilians of the Pakistan armed forces.

There were flag hoisting ceremonies at many landmarks and official buildings of the city. Many schools in the city also remained open to celebrate Independence Day with singing and performing tableaux by the children. VIPs planted saplings at parks and gardens, too.

Aazadi Run and Freedom Drive

This year, the trend seemed to be of big Pakistan flags. The bigger they were in size, the better. The running group Born2Run Pakistan (B2RP) also brought with them a huge flag that they call grabbed the edges of and spread out in DHA Phase-8, where the runners had gathered at 5.50am for their 5km Aazadi Run.

As many as 300 runners of all ages had registered for the run for which the ribbon was cut by a senior traffic police constable, Jahanzaib, who had come to control traffic and keep the cars away from the runners’ route.

Sohail Sardar, the founder of the B2RP movement, said that a healthy lifestyle was his gift for the country. “And we are all here today to convey this positive message,” he said. Since there were many runners, the race had to be held in batches with the B2RP volunteers keeping time for all.

The morning also belonged to the Motor Club of Pakistan. More than 25 lovers of classic and rare and exquisite cars and other vehicles, including motorcycles, reached the Frere Hall for their 6th Freedom Drive to the Mazar-i-Quaid. The drive was smaller and more selective this year due to the pandemic.

Leading the group was its founder Razi Nayyar’s pride and joy, his 1972 deep green (matching the green of the Pakistan flag) Jaguar XJ6 Series-1. “My green Jaguar has always led this rally since the formulation of our Motor Club of Pakistan in 2015,” he said. The car originally belonged to the former prime minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

This year Nayyar also brought out his self-built silver tri-wheeler motorcycle sidecar. “It’s the special feature of our 6th Aazadi Drive this year,” he told Dawn. “I have specially designed this sidecar to serve the less privileged classes of our society who only have a motorcycle as their means of transport. The sidecar will make it easy for them to commute with family. It will be Pakistan’s people’s car” he said.

The motorcade left for the Mazar-i-Quaid carrying the Pakistan flags. The vehicles that took part in the drive included Mercedes, Ford Thunderbird, Volkswagen Beetle, Mazda, Toyota, Chevrolet Caprice and Corvette, Triumph TR2, Rolls Royce and several heavy bikes.

Earlier, on the eve of Independence Day, the Karachi Press Club held a very special cake cutting ceremony. The cake on the occasion, a 74-pound (to signify the 74th anniversary of the country’s independence) green and white flag replica that was as big as the table it was placed on, was cut by the provincial minister for information, labour and human resources, Saeed Ghani.

On the occasion Dr Huma also presented national songs as her audience joined in with her.

Published in Dawn, August 15th , 2021