Participants waving national flags at the float parade. PHOTO: ABID NAWAZ/EXPRESS
LAHORE: The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as impressionists copying key politicians across the spectrum – Quaid-i-Azam Ali Jinnah to Mehmood Achakzai – rode on to Main Boulevard on a brightly decorated float prepared by the Parks and Horticulture Authority. The Azm-e-Pakistan parade was organised by the city government to mark Pakistan Day in all its pomp and ceremony.
As the mimic impersonating Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in his signature brown safari suit started copying his usual moves, supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz burst into applause and cheered their “leader” on. Their cheers were interjected with shouts of Go Nawaz Go from supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, whose mimic, too, rode the float alongside his political rivals. Lining the sidewalk enjoying the floats, several people in the crowd said that they had greatly appreciated the message of unity the float depicted. “The idea of seeing Quaid-i-Azam Ali Jinnah, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Fatimah Jinnah, Aitezaz Ahsan, Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari on one float is radical,” a man in the audience said.
Starting from the Liberty Roundabout, the floats travelled to the Main Market crossing and turned back towards Liberty Roundabout. Buildings on both sides of the road carried large flags of Pakistan and people stood on the pedestrian crossing craning over each other for a better view of the float parade. From vintage cars, to puppets and celebrities and the politicians, the wide variety of floats kept the crowds entertained throughout.
Information Technology University’s float depicted life on campus while The City School’s float carried flowers and butterflies and a message of humility and tolerance.
Five-year-old Laraib Fatima was beside herself watching the colourful floats with pretty flowers but her elder brother Ali Moazam preferred the cars. Children and adults ran alongside their favourite floats. Many of them ran to a float with celebrities on it so they could shake hands with them or get their autographs. Among the celebrities were singers Jawad Ahmed and Ali Azmat; actors Sona, Chandi and Shabeer Jaan; and cricket players Azhar Hanif and Muhammad Hafeez.
The floats also paid tribute to several national sports teams including the national male and female hockey team and the national kabadi team. A large crowd ran towards a float with the wrestling stalwarts of Pakistan – pehlwans. Dressed in colourful dhoti kurtas and waving towards the crowd, scores of people reached out to hug them and take autographs.
Pappu Saein did not stand atop a float, and a good thing too, as almost everyone standing in a massive circle around him broke out in vigorous dance. As many as 10,500 police officials were deployed to secure the parade.
A police official said that there was three-tier security to remove any chances of an untoward incident. “Police also carried out aerial surveillance. All the roads leading to Main Boulevard were blocked for traffic,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2015.
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