United in green

A closer look at the celebrities who took to social media on August 14

As the 77th Independence Day descended upon the nation, Pakistani citizens around the world showed their true colours (green and white), and it would be remiss of celebrities to shy away from social media and not do the same. With athletes and showbiz stars alike rising in true patriotic fashion on their Instagram handles on X, let's take a closer look at who stood out amid a sea of green.

The unifying effect of sport

Having speared through the hearts of Pakistanis the world over with one mighty thrust of his javelin, Pakistan's newly minted pride and joy gold medallist Arshad Nadeem grabbed the opportunity on August 14 to urge Pakistanis to unite in the face of adversity. Dressed smartly in a crisp white shirt and green tie, the star athlete posted a video on Instagram where, in Urdu, he made a plea to his fellow citizens to set aside their differences and come together the way they did when he coasted the country to golden glory last week during the Paris Olympics.

"On the occasion of Pakistan's 77th Independence Day, I want to appeal to the nation to remember that we Pakistanis are all one, and we should unite," began the star athlete. "We need to come together as a nation, the way you all came together on August 8 to celebrate my gold medal," he continued. "You spread a wave of joy then, and I want you all to come together today."

To Arshad, the easiest way for Pakistanis to show their unity would be to update their social media accounts with a simple symbol of their country. "Just the way I change my photo across all my social media accounts, I update my social media profile photos, so that we can show the world who we are."

As a reminder of the importance of banding together, Arshad finished with: "United we stand. Thank you."

Arshad's penchant for proudly displaying his Pakistani roots is, of course, by no means limited to him. Inspired by his recent historic achievement at the Olympics, screen veteran Bushra Ansari posted a heartwarming artwork depicting Arshad's mother and Indian silver medallist Neeraj Chopra's mother. With Arshad's mother draped in the Indian flag and Neeraj's mother proudly bearing a Pakistani flag against a backdrop of the five Olympic rings, the picture bore the simple title 'Happy Independence Day' above a picture of the Pakistani and Indian flags. Like their sons, both mothers recently captured hearts across social media as they metaphorically embraced each other's sons, underscoring the unifying effect of sport and how love recognises no international borders.

Showbiz takes centre stage

Caught in the tidal wave of patriotism that washes over the nation every year on August 14, actor Adnan Siddiqi, too, took to X to post a picture of the flag and a heartfelt little reminder to netizens of what Independence Day truly means to a Pakistani citizen.

"As we celebrate Independence Day, it's important to remember the journey that brought us here and the values that continue to guide us," penned the Gentleman actor. "May this day be a reminder of the strength in unity and the power of freedom. Pakistan Zindabad!"

Actor Maya Khan, too, joined the patriotic bandwagon by using her Instagram Stories to celebrate Independence Day. Keeping her message short and sweet, the Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum actor posted a simple green and white image bearing the words "14 August" atop "Happy Independence Day". Fellow actor Momina Iqbal, by contrast, kept it even simpler: the Samjhota actor merely posted a stunning photo of herself clad in all green with a blurry Pakistani flag in the background. No words were required, but the acknowledgement of Independence Day was read loud and clear.

Meanwhile, Pakistani fashion king Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (or to use his more colloquial title, HSY), didn't miss the opportunity to register his own level of pride in the country. Taking to his Instagram Stories, HSY posted a clip of himself surrounded by others as they stood (or knelt) before a display of green and white balloons and a giant Pakistani flag, with the accompanying caption 'Dil Se Pakistani.' Completing this patriotic vision was the rallying triple cry of 'Pakistan Zindabad!' as everyone brandished their own personal flags, leaving no one in any doubt of their true colours. 'A tribute to the artisans, the culture, and the land that inspires us,' HSY posted (in white text atop a green background, naturally) as a little coda to his clip.

And how could we forget musicians

Haroon, who already did his part as a Pakistani artist in the early 2000s by giving us the hit Dil Se Maine Dekha Pakistan, did not repost the hit on the actual Independence Day itself, but did take the liberty of adding a video on August 11 of himself singing a renewed version of the song on stage. To Haroon's fans and followers, the prelude to the Independence Day celebration proved to be a sweet nod to the artist's allegiance to his country.

Songwriter extraordinaire Shoaib Mansoor, on the other hand, needed to do little but post a video of the immortal Vital Signs hit Dil Dil Pakistan, branded forever into the hearts and minds of Pakistanis at home and abroad. Having written the iconic hit in the '80s, Shoaib need not resort to greening up his social media; the man has already gifted the nation with the global identification of all Pakistanis, and a simple reposting of the video is all the national spirit everyone needs.

But it was singer and philanthropist Shehzad Roy who took things one step further - albeit two days prior to Independence Day itself - by thinking outside the box and posting an actual video of himself singing the national anthem live.

" I swear I am not exaggerating—whenever I hear or sing this, I get tears in my eyes," penned Shehzad alongside his video. Shehzad was not the only person moved to tears as the camera panned to the audience, all standing in respect, capturing the moment on their own phones. Shehzad's pitch-perfect voice, laden with emotion, carried the tune of the haunting national anthem all the way through - a beautiful reminder of the true essence of being Pakistani.