Pakistan Day is being celebrated across the country on Thursday with national zeal and fervour.
The nation commenced celebrations for 77th Pakistan Day with a pledge to make the country stronger by wiping out the menace of terrorism, achieving sustainable economic growth and political stability.
The day marks the historic event of 1940, when the Lahore Resolution was passed demanding a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent.
The highlight of the day is the joint military parade which was held at the Parade Ground near the Shakarparian hills in Islamabad.
President Mamnoon Hussain was the chief guest of the event. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sohail Aman and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif witnessed the parade.
The ceremony commenced with the singing of national anthem, after which the president observed the parade from a jeep.
Chinese and Saudi troops and a Turkish military band also featured at the parade.
The military parade was resumed in 2015 after a gap of seven years and was seen as a manifestation of the military's show of strength in the wake of a shocking attack in 2014 on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, which left 150 dead, including 132 schoolchildren.
Chinese, Saudi troops march in parade
Contingents of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Frontier Corps and Pakistan Rangers held a march-past and performed a salute to President of Pakistan.
Troops of the parade included contingents of the 18 Punjab Regiment, 21 Frontier Force Regiment, 10 Northern Light Infantry Regiment, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air force, 760 Mujahid Battalion, Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Rangers Punjab, Pakistan Police (represented by the Islamabad Police), Tri Services Lady Officers, Tri Services Armed Forces Nursing Services, Boy Scouts, Pakistan Girl Guides, Special Services Group (SSG), and President Bodyguards.
The parade also included marches by the Saudi Special Forces, who were represented by the Saudi Land Forces, as well as the Tri Services People's Liberation Army of China.
A Turkish military band 'Mehtar' also performed at the parade in their traditional costume and played various tunes including 'Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan'. Formed in 1299, Mehtar is considered one of the oldest bands in the world.
Al Khalid and Al Zarrar tanks roll in
Pakistan Army's tanks, including the Al Khalid and Al Zarrar, presented gun salutes to the chief guest on the occasion.
During the parade radars systems and other weapons equipped with military technology were presented.
The NASR missile, which hosts a 60 kilometre range; the Shaheen missile with a range of 900km; the Ghauri missile system, which can hit targets of up to 1,300km in range; and the Babur cruise missile were presented during the parade.
With a highly precise guidance system and the capability to reach targets 2,750km away, the Shaheen-III missile was also showcased during the event.
Army Aviation fly-past
Various aircraft belonging to Army Aviation and Pakistan Air Force performed a fly-past and demonstrated aerobatic performances for the audience present.
AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, Fennec helicopters, Skyraiders, Mi-17 transport helicopters and Puma transport helicopters were part of Army Aviation's fly-past contingent.
Army Aviation's fly past was followed by an aerobatic performance from PAF's Sherdils, JF-17 Thunder and a F-16 fighter from the storied No.9 Squadron of the PAF.
Paratroopers wow the crowd
Thirteen skydivers from the three armed forces jumped with the national flag and the flags of the three services, landing smoothly on the ground.
The participating paratroopers represented the three services, with jumpers from the Shahbaz team of army's Special Services Group (SSG) leading the jump, followed by the Sea Eagle team of Pakistan Navy and Shahpar team of the PAF.
The divers jumped from 10,000 feet. Paratroopers also have the capability to jump from a height of 25,000 feet, at any time of the day.
Parade celebrates Pakistani culture
A cultural parade featuring people and floats from Pakistan's four provinces Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir was presented during the ceremony.
The parade showcased local cultures of the four provinces, while models of historical regional landmarks were presented on the floats.
Pakistan ready for dialogue with India: president
President Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain in his address at the ceremony said Pakistan's traditional atomic power is to ensure regional peace and stability.
He said India's irresponsible behaviour has been jeopardising the peace of the region. "We are ready for dialogue with India and want to resolve the issue of incomplete agenda of the division of the subcontinent, in accordance with the UN resolutions on Kashmir.The president also urged the international community to play its role for the resolution of Kashmir dispute.
Talking about terrorism, he hailed the role of Pakistani security forces and said after operation Zarb-i-Azb, Raddul Fassad will continue till the elimination of the remaining terrorists.
He said Pakistan is emerging as a strong economic power in the region. He also thanked China and other friendly countries for their cooperation.
The president said it is for the first time that Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops are performing outside China. He also highlighted that batches of forces from Saudi Arabia and South Africa are also participating in the ceremony.
Chief of Air Staff leads fly-past
Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sohail Aman led a fly-past of Pakistan Air Force jets presented to President Mamnoon Hussain over the parade venue.
Change of guard in Lahore
A change of guard ceremony was held at the mausoleum of Dr Allama Iqbal in Lahore.
A batch of Pakistan Air Force paraded and presented salute to the tomb of Allama Iqbal. Air Commodore Salman Mehboob was chief guest at the ceremony.
The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals.