The Pakistani nation is celebrating the 74th Independence Day today, August 14, 2020.

Fireworks marked the beginning of the Independence Day at 12:00 AM in different parts of the country at the official and unofficial level. Police and other law enforcement agencies have tightened security across the country to maintain law and order on the Independence Day.

As the clock struck 12, Independence Day greetings started pouring in.

Prime Minister Imran Khan greeted the nation on the eve of the Independence Day and said it is the day to make a commitment to act upon the ideology of the Quaid-e-Azam and pay a tribute to those who laid down their lives for the country. He said that sons of the motherland sacrificed their lives for the country and its ideology.

He said that Pakistan faced multiple challenges over the last 70 years and fought wars on internal and external fronts. He said the Pakistani nation bravely fought against the Indian-sponsored terrorism and India-triggered wars. He said that Pakistan would remain steadfast and deal with every challenge through faith, unity and discipline.

He said his government would introduce a system in Pakistan in line with philosophy and objectives of freedom. He said that Pakistan has chosen the State of Madina as its role model. He said that Pakistanis are sad at the plight of their Kashmiri brothers and sisters living under Indian oppression, especially for the last one year.

He said that Pakistan stands by Kashmiris fighting for their right to self-determination and would continue to raise voice for Kashmiris. 

Here is the video of fireworks at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXrwHfcNoU

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Thursday sent a message of felicitations to President Dr Arif Alvi on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day.

Prince Salman, also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, sent the cable of congratulations, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. “The Crown Prince wished the President constant good health and happiness, and the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan steady progress and prosperity,” SPA reported.

Asim Saleem Bajwa, chairman of the CPEC Authority, greeted the nation in the following words:

https://twitter.com/AsimSBajwa/status/1293986719541481472

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner greeted Pakistan on Independence Day. He tweeted his message with a picture of the Pakistani flag.

https://twitter.com/ukinpakistan/status/1293966225102471174

In a tweet on the eve of Pakistan’s Independence Day, US Ambassador Paul Wayne Jones congratulated the people of Pakistan on behalf of the people of America and the US Mission in Islamabad.

https://twitter.com/usembislamabad/status/1293873719207747586 

Google Doodle

Today’s Doodle commemorates Pakistan’s Independence Day in celebration of the date in 1947 when it became an autonomous republic.

Illustrated in the Doodle artwork is the fortified eastern entrance of Pakistan’s historic Khojak Tunnel, one of the nation’s oldest and longest underpasses. Construction on this iconic landmark began in 1888 to extend the area’s railway through the Khojak pass of the Toba Kakar mountain range, which was at the time impossible to cross by train.

The Khojak Tunnel’s construction was an unprecedented undertaking in the South Asian subcontinent. Over 19 million bricks were required, most of which were kilned at the rugged site, and builders burned more than 6,000 candles to illuminate their work in the dark space.

Upon its completion in 1891, the 3.9-kilometer Khojak Tunnel became the fourth-longest underpass in the world. 

To honour this feat of civil engineering, in 1976 the Pakistani government printed a depiction of the Khojak Tunnel on its five-rupee note, which remained in circulation until 2005. 

Happy Independence Day, Pakistan!