ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The annual spectacular Pakistan Day Military Parade was held at Parade Avenue in Islamabad on Thursday morning.
The impressive ceremony kicked off with the flypast of fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy led by the Air Chief Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu presenting a salute to the Chief Guest President Dr. Arif Alvi.
The formations of F-16, JF 17, Mirage, AWACs, P-3C Orion, and ATR aircraft participated in the flypast.
یوم پاکستان پر مسلح افواج کی شاندار پریڈ ۔۔۔پریڈ میں سول ، فوجی قیادت ا و رغیر ملکی شخصیات کی شرکت ۔۔۔چاروں صوبوں ،گلگت بلتستان اور آزاد کشمیر کے وفود کی بھی شرکت ۔۔۔23مارچ کو موسم کی خرابی کی وجہ سے پریڈ نہیں ہوسکی تھی۔#PakistanDayParade pic.twitter.com/0GELiPr09c
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) March 25, 2021
Contingents of Pakistan Army, Navy, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Groups (SSGs), Frontier Corps (FC), Rangers, and Islamabad Police, Frontier Constabulary (FC), Airport Security Force, and Boys Scouts marched past the dais presenting salute to the Chief Guest.
Mechanized columns including tanks, armored personnel carriers, rocket launchers, air defense system, Radars, indigenously built UAVs, and short and long-range missiles Ra’ad, Nasr, Babr, Ghaznavi, and Shaheen were showcased on the occasion. The engineering corps presented its state-of-the-art equipment.
This was followed by the flypast of helicopters.
Amidst applause by the audience, JF-17 and formations of Sherdils presented breathtaking aerobatics spreading a range of colors in the skies.
As a mark of strong bonds between Pakistan and Turkey, a Turkish fighter jet presented a whole range of dazzling maneuvers.
A Turkish military band on the occasion presented different tunes including that of Dil Dil Pakistan, Jaan Jaan Pakistan.
Floats depicted the culture of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and the four provinces. The floats of the ministry of science and technology and the frontline healthcare workers against COVID-19 were also part of the parade.
Dhol Party presented different colors of the Country’s diverse culture.
The skydivers of the forces including the paratroopers of Bahrain, Iraq, Palestine, Srilanka, and Turkey exhibited free fall, carrying national flags and those of services.
The President Dr. Arif Alvi later visited an enclosure and met with those personalities who have made outstanding contributions in different fields.
Different national songs were also presented on the occasion from the float of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The mega event organized as per the COVID-19 related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) was attended amongst others by the Federal Ministers, Parliamentarians, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), and the three Services Chiefs.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was unable to attend as he is currently in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.
As per notifications of Deputy Commissioners Islamabad and Rawalpindi, there is a local holiday in the Twin Cities in connection with the military parade.
To facilitate the Parade, Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has restricted traffic on Islamabad Expressway from Khanna Bridge to Zero Point between 5:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon.
The Islamabad Traffic Police has specified alternate routes to facilitate Traffic flow.
The Pakistan Day Parade was scheduled on March 23 as per the annual practice; however, due to the inclement weather and rains, it was postponed to March 25.
