PESHAWAR, Aug 8: The NWFP government has decided to celebrate the Independent Day with fervour and simplicity.

The main event of the day will be the flag-hoisting ceremony to be performed by NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah at Jinnah Park at 8am, followed by a reception in the afternoon at the provincial headquarters.

In addition, an Independence Day Week which began on Thursday will continue till Aug 14, during which seminars, meetings, conferences, lectures, debates, speech contests will be held at different academic levels.

Inter-provincial visits of students, exhibition of books/articles, quiz competitions, Qirat, Naat Khwani, stage dramas and mushairas, in national as well as in local languages, will also be arranged with a view to highlighting the Islamic spirit and democratic struggle for the achievement of Pakistan.

However, the programmes will be held with simplicity due to prevailing economic conditions and tense situation along Pakistan’s borders, said an official statement issued here on Thursday.

The Independence Day will be marked with 21-gun salute in the provincial capital at sunrise. Similarly, dramatic pause at 7.58am with sounding of sirens to herald the flag-hoisting at 8am, will be observed and all moving traffic will come to a halt for one minute, while the national flag on all principal public and private buildings will also be hoisted.

However, there will be no fireworks in the evening on the day.