Pakistan Day parade to be held after a gap of seven years

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to hold a joint military parade on March 23 to mark ‘Pakistan Day’ after a break of seven years.

According to ISPR Spokesman Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, the decision shows that “we are moving towards normal”.

The parade by all the three services — army, navy and air force — would be accompanied by a display of military hardware.

The Pakistan Day parade used to be a regular feature till 2008. But subsequent governments cancelled the event because of security fears and troops’ engagement with military operations.

In the absence of military parade, the official ceremony over the years remained a low-key affair.

The military is still involved in intense counter-terrorism operations — in North Waziristan (Zarb-i-Azb) and Khyber — and tensions run high on the Line of Control and Working Boundary, but apparently the decision to resume the parade is motivated by a desire to shed the climate of fear.

The government and the military have been trying to reclaim the narrative and space lost to militants after the adoption of National Action Plan on counter-terrorism by the political leadership in the aftermath of the Dec 16 Peshawar school tragedy.

This year’s event would take place at the new Parade Ground near scenic Shakarparian. Earlier the parade was held on the Jinnah Avenue in front of the Parliament House. Race Course in Rawalpindi hosted the parade before the venue was changed to Jinnah Avenue.

There have been speculations that the government was planning to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping, who last year cancelled his trip to Pakistan in August because of political turmoil in the country.

Some believe that the government intended to invite the Chinese leader to counter-balance the psychological advantage gained by India because of US President Barack Obama’s participation in its Republic Day ceremony.

However, a government spokesman denied that any decision on having a foreign guest had been taken.

The event is held to commemorate the Pakistan Resolution adopted at the Muslim League convention in Lahore on March 23, 1940.

The observance is meant to remind people of ideals for which the country was created.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2015