KARACHI: The 70th Independence Day was celebrated across Sindh province on Monday with great zeal and fervor. The day dawned with a salute of 21 guns in Karachi, the provincial capital. Special prayers were offered in mosques for the integrity and solidarity of the country and the nation. Colorful ceremonies in this connection were organized in cities and towns of the province, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas. In Karachi, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Minister and President PPP Nisar Khuhro, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani, Home Minister Suhail Anwar Sial, Manzoor Wassan, Mumtaz Jakhrani, Sardar Shah, MPA Saeed Ghani and other Senators, MNAs and MPAs visited the mausoleum of Founder of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on Monday. Bilawal laid floral wreath and paid homage to the Quaid. Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology celebrated 70th Pakistan Independence Day with traditional zeal and glowing tributes were paid to the people who sacrificed their lives during struggle for having an independent homeland for Muslims to live with their distinct identity and complete freedom. Chancellor SSUET, hoisted the national flag in an impressive ceremony and Students of the university were very excited and were raising “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans and waving the national flags. High point of the ceremony was a cultural programme. Students enthralled the audience with national and motivational songs. The ceremony was attended among others by the Registrar Syed Sarfraz Ali, Aligarians, faculty & staff members and students. The ceremony was concluded with the prayer led by Mahmood ul Hasan Ashrafi for national progress and prosperity of the Muslim Umma. The Alma-Mater of Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah organized variety of programs to celebrate the 71st foundation day of Pakistan in its premises. The feelings of proud and success were visible from faces of students of the university, SMIU Model School, faculty and staff members of the institution. The first event was flag hoisting ceremony at the ground of the SMIU at 9.00 pm, which was performed by Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh, Vice Chancellor of SMIU. A large number of students, faculty and staff members attended it. In Larkana, main event was held at Benazir Bhutto Municipal Stadium in which Commissioner Ghulam Abbas Baloch, Mayor Aslam Shaikh, Deputy Commissioner Kashif Ali Tipu, SSP Sajid Amir Sadozai, other government officers, students and citizens took part. Guard of honour was presented and pigeons were also set free as a sign of peace on this occasion. Students of various schools presented Naat, national songs, and dance on tableaus. Pakistan’s flag was also hoisted to mark the day. The officers also planted various saplings in memory of this auspicious day. In Naundero, students, teachers and other citizen observed the Pakistan Day at Government Boys Higher Secondary School-1 and 2, Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Government Primary School, Serve Foundation Adolescent and Adult Learning & Training Program, Glorious Public School and Bakhtawar Model School. The students wore traditional dresses, danced on the tunes of national songs, presented tableaus and made speeches highlighting the importance of Pakistan ideology and its movement. The students of Glorious Public School took out a rally in the town by holding 100-meter large Pakistan’s flag in their hands, which was terminated at Press Club. In Khairpur, colorful ceremonies were held to mark the day, while rallies were also taken out in the city to mark the national day with zeal and fervor. The flag hoisting ceremonies were also held in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas, where tributes were paid to leaders who established Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, August 15th 2017.