68th Pakistan Day being observed today
ISLAMABAD: Nation is celebrating the 68th Pakistan Day with full traditional zeal and fervor today (Sunday). The day dawned with a 31-Gun Salute in the Federal Capital and 21-Gun Salute in Provincial Capitals. Special Prayers were offered in all mosques for solidarity and prosperity of Pakistan. Main feature of the day is the Armed Forces Parade, which is being held at Jinnah Sports Complex, here. President Pervez Musharraf took the salute, reviewed the parade and delivered his brief address. Caretaker Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro, Defence Minister, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majeed, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Afzal Tahir, Begum Sehba Musharraf and other armed and civilian high officials attended the parade. Smartly turned out contingents drawn from the three Services presented the Guard of Honor. It was followed by a scintillating fly-past of the PAF Combat Aircraft. JF-17 Thunder Fighter Aircraft, the manifestation of Pak-China friendship, is also participating in the fly-past. After the President's address, the Parade Commander, Brigadier Ehsan Ul Haq, drove past the saluting dais leading contingents of the three armed services bearing National Standards. Battalions of the Punjab, Baloch, Azad Kashmir and Sindh Regiments, contingents of Pakistan Navy, PAF, Armed Forces Nursing Services, Punjab Rangers, Police and Special Service Group marched past the saluting dais. Contingents of the President's Body Guard, Armored Corps comprising Tanks "Al-Zarrar", "Al-Khalid" and T-80 UD, Mechanized Infantry, Heavy Anti Tank Regiment, Self Propelled Artillery, Army Air Defence, Engineers, Corps of Signals, and Army Strategic Force Command including Hatf-II (Abdali), Hatf-III (Ghaznavi), Hatf-IV (Shaheen-1), Hatf-V (Ghauri), Hatf-VI (Shaheen-6), Babar Cruise Missile and Ra’ad Missile are on the display today. Aerobatics by PAF "Sherdil Team" comprising 29 aircrafts was another attraction of the parade.
