HYDERABAD, Sept 6: Not a single function marking the Defence of Pakistan Day was held here on Monday under the aegis of any department of the provincial or district government.

"There are no instructions from the Sindh government regarding the Defence Day that is why we did not do anything," claimed a senior official of the district government.

He, however, agreed that the Defence Day was an important occasion which should be commemorated. Normally quiz, debate and declamation contests are held in educational institutions to mark the day but no such programme was held on Monday in any school or college, an official of the district government's education department said and expressed disappointment over the attitude of the government.

However, Petaro Cadet College did organize a function to mark the day. "This is great injustice to our national heroes who laid down their live while defending the country," an education official said and added that it appeared as if they had lost interest in such occasions.

He said that the Literacy Day had been preferred by the education department over the Defence Day though it could have been fixed for another date.