Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The nation will celebrate the 82nd Pakistan Day with full zeal and fervour Wednesday as the preparations for the Pakistan Day Parade in the Federal Capital to show the country’s military prowess and cultural diversity are in full swing.

The joint services parade will include contingents of the tri-services, paramilitary forces, and civil armed forces whereas troops from friendly countries will also participate. The parade will also include the troops of Armoured Corps, Artillery, and Air Defence Engineers, which will be equipped with awe-inspiring weapons whereas missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will also be part of it as a symbol of Pakistan’s invincible defence.

One of the important highlights of this year’s Pakistan Day Parade will be the flypast of the most modern J10-C fighter jets, besides the aviation flypast. The J10-C fighter aircraft, all weather jets with cutting edge technology, have been recently inducted into the Pakistan Air Force’s fleet. The commandos of Special Services Group (SSG) will demonstrate a free fall at the scenic Parade Ground in the heart of the Federal Capital.

The colourful attraction of the Parade will be the cultural floats from all the provinces, including Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Most importantly, the participants of 48th Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers have been specially invited to attend the Pakistan Day Parade. Therefore, a special float of the OIC has been prepared, which will also be part of the cultural floats.

The theme of this year’s Pakistan Day is “Shad Rahe Pakistan” (May Pakistan Be Happy) and the prayer theme is part of the national anthem “Markaz e Yaqeen Shad Bad” (Blessed be the Citadel of Faith). The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has also released an enthralling national song on the theme “Shad Rahe Pakistan”, written and sang by lyricist and singer Shuja Haider, with vocalist Yashal Shahid. Moreover, the ISPR have also issued short public service messages to pay homage to the nation and father of the nation.