City turns green with pride

Thousands celebrate in ‘cultural capital of Pakistan’

LAHORE: As expected, Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, celebrated the nation’s 72nd Independence Day with great zest and zeal. The provincial capital was just one of the cities marking the occasion which was celebrated across the country on Tuesday.

All historic, important and commercial buildings, along with markets and plazas, were decorated in green and white lights. There was a huge rush in public parks, play areas and food courts as a large number of patriots visited these spots in their droves.

Independence Day celebrations kicked off with special prayers at mosques after Fajr. Those in attendance prayed for the wellbeing of the nation and peace in the country. The day dawned with a 21 gun salute by Pakistan Army near the Lahore Cantonment.

The main national flag hoisting ceremony was held at Hazuri Bagh, in which caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Dr Hassan Askari hoisted did the honours at the historic Alamgiri Gate of Lahore Fort.

Dr Askari also visited the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the spiritual father of Pakistan. He laid a floral wreath and prayed for the salvation and solidarity of the country.

The interim chief minister also wrote in the visitor’s book. “I congratulate the nation on this Independence Day and express my good wishes. The poetry of Allama Iqbal influenced the Muslims of subcontinent and resulted in the creation of Pakistan,” he penned down.



Speaking on the occasion, Dr Askari paid tributes to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal and other heroes of the Pakistan Movement. He sung national songs with students, scouts and differently-abled children, while also offering prayers for the peace and prosperity in the country. The chief minister was also presented salute by a smartly turned-out contingent of scouts at Hazoori Bagh.

Meanwhile, a change of guard ceremony was held at Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum in which a smartly turned-out contingent of the Pakistan Army assumed duty from the Pakistan Rangers. Marching to the tune of the band, the contingent took positions at the four corners of the Mazar.

Simultaneously, Rangers were ceremoniously moved out by the officer-in-charge. The guard mounting was followed by a floral wreath being laid at Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum by Lahore General Officer Commanding (GOC) Major General Shahid Mehmood to pay homage to the national poet. He also offered Fateha and wrote his impression in the visitors’ book.

Besides the main function, several national flag hoisting ceremonies, I-Day rallies and walks were also held in different areas of the city. The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) organised flag hoisting ceremony at Delhi Gate which was largely attended by residents of the old city. Punjab Chief Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani also attended the ceremony. He also sung national songs with school children.

Durrani visited the historic Wazir Khan Mosque and iconic Shahi Hamam and appreciated conservation of these national monuments. The WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari, said, “Pakistan and its heritage are our pride and we should make all efforts for its betterment. We need to preserve heritage for the generations ahead so that they can see and treasure the work and efforts of their forefathers and take pride in being Pakistani.”

Special flag lowering ceremonies were also held at both Wagha and Ganda Singh borders on the eve of August 14 and were attended by a large number of citizens holding national flags in their hands. Locals, especially women and children, were seen in green and white dresses inspired by the national flag. During a splendid show, citizens kept chanting Pakistan Zindabad with great enthusiasm.

On the initiative of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Amna Imran Khan, Independence Day celebrations were also held this year in new localities of the city as well as in districts of Kasur and Sheikupura, besides the central area of Lahore.

The LDA office building in Johar Town was illuminated with ornamental lights which attracted a large number of people from other areas of the city. A flag-hoisting ceremony, a speech contest and cake cutting ceremony were also held at LDA Model High School, Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore.

Fireworks was held at Aleem Dar Cricket Academy Johar Town and approved private housing schemes in the city  at the stroke of midnight between August 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, concerts were held at Al-Jalil Gardens Housing Scheme on Sharqpur Road in district Sheikupura and the LDA Sports Complex in Johar Town. A floodlit cricket match was held at the Aleem Dar Cricket Academy, while a hockey game was at the Hockey Stadium in Johar Town.



Independence Day at educational institutions

Independence Day was marked with enthusiasm at different public and private educational institutions across the provincial capital on Tuesday.

At the Punjab University, a flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the College of Art and Design at the Old Campus. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad said higher education sector must play its role in bringing Pakistan at par with developed countries. He announced the establishment of a social entrepreneurship centre to resolve social issues.

Later, the students of College of Art and Design presented national songs. The audiences lauded the students’ captivating performances and the VC announced Rs50,000 cash prizes for students who presented the music. There were also Rs2,000 each for lower grade staff including guards and gardeners.

The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), on the other hand, pledged to plant 10,000 trees at all the campuses of the varsity during the current season. For this, Vice Chancellor Dr Farkhanda Manzoor asked the task force, setup for the purpose, to achieve the target. At the university, a flag-hoisting, cake cutting, march past by student council and tree plantation campaign was held.



Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farkhanda Manzoor highlighted the importance of education to build a strong and stable Pakistan.  She said that LCWU was a leading university which was using its resources for women development and empowerment based on merit.  She appreciated the faculty and staff for their efforts for making high-quality higher education accessible for young female students of the country.

At the Government College University (GCU) Lahore, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah inaugurated the day-long celebrations by planting a sapling at the university’s Bukhari Lawns, which was followed by a grand flag-hoisting ceremony and parliamentary debate among the university’s orators on the topic of “Pakistan is progressing in the right direction.”

Addressing the flag-hoisting ceremony at the university’s historical Bukhari Auditorium, Vice Chancellor Prof Hassan Shah laid stress on strengthening national institutions of the country. He said that extremism and high population growth were the biggest challenges to Pakistan.

“In 1947, we were just 32 million, but now our population has exceeded 200 million,” he added. The portraits of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, sketched by GCU Intermediate student Osama Ishaq were also put on display at the flag-hoisting ceremony.

The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore celebrated the day by decorating the campus with illumination, national flags, portraits of national leaders, banners and buntings to give a festive look. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2018.