Govt to finalise ‘Azadi’ celebrations tomorrow

Final plan will be announced at a press conference tomorrow.

ISLAMABAD:
The government will announce on Thursday (tomorrow) its amended plan for the Independence Day or Azadi rally, which is to be held on August 14, and which happens to coincide with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) protest march.

A cabinet panel, constituted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will finalise the plan and make it public through a press conference.

Information Minister Pervez Rasheed told The Express Tribune that the committee would meet on Thursday, after which Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq would hold a press conference to reveal the government’s final plan.

He said the official ceremony in Islamabad would be held in the morning, while PTI’s march is scheduled to reach the capital in the evening or late at night.

The committee, led by Rafique, comprises Rasheed, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural resources Jam Kamal Khan and Special Assistant of Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui.


The government has said that the countrywide ceremonies, which will take place from August 1 to August 30, would be dedicated to martyrs of Tehreek-e-Pakistan and of the war against terrorism.

It had earlier announced that it would resume outdoor ceremonies with a military parade at D-Chowk, which remains dug-up currently due to on-going work for the metro-bus project.

Located few hundred metres in front of Parliament House, the venue was previously used for ceremonies such as independence-day rallies and the March 23rd military parades till a decade ago when they were stopped due to security threats.

The PML-N government, however, recently vowed to revive these functions and hold an extensive function around D-Chowk.

While the government has cut back on some of its grand ideas in the initial plan, it has said that the Independence Day rally is perhaps the most important of all rallies and has invited leaders of all political parties, including those who have announced to protest against the government after Eid.
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