ISLAMABAD: The March 23 National Day parade will be held at the President House at a smaller scale instead of the routine venue due to Ramazan and as part of the government’s austerity drive.

Sources in the interior ministry confided to Dawn that the parade will be held at a small scale and even the display of military hardware and equipment will be limited. However, only prime pieces of weaponry in the national arsenal will be displayed at the parade to be held on the grounds of the Presidency.

At the same time aerial display by the Pakistan Air Force too will be at a smaller scale. The annual Pakistan Day event is held at Shakarparian ground in the federal capital to commemorate the anniversary of the 1940 Lahore Resolution.

The parade will present the guard of honour to President Asif Ali Zardari and will be attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alongside the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the chiefs of the army, navy and the air force.

The event is organised by Joint Staff Headquarters and showcases the country’s military strength and national unity with floats belonging to all four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The day’s celebrations begins with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in the provincial capitals.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025