People celebrate I-Day with traditional enthusiasm

Islamabad : Thousands of youngsters on motorbikes, cars, and other vehicles decorated with national flags and colorful buntings and lights thronged roads and streets to participate in the Independence Day celebrations that started at midnight and continued throughout the day.

The city witnessed several individuals and groups running bikes and cars on roads while holding Pakistani flags and chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans.

Youngsters came out on roads in large numbers and played loud music on the audio systems of their cars. They blocked many traffic junctions, came out of their vehicles and danced on the roads.

Many main roads of the city remained flooded with bikers who indulged in one-wheeling till late at night.

Islamabad Police had made special arrangements to control hooliganism in different popular centres of the city. Special squads of Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) and city police were formed to curb rash driving and one-wheeling.

All the main public buildings in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were decorated with lights and Pakistani flags.

The children were seen purchasing small badges and buntings to decorate their homes, while adults were buying large flags to decorate their cars and motorbikes.

The display of fireworks at D-Chowk in front of the Parliament House was seen by a large number of people who gathered there to celebrate the occasion.

Zulfiqar Haider, a resident of Rawalpindi, said “There might be a myriad of issues that divide the people of Pakistan, but when it comes to celebrating Independence Day, the entire nation comes together to rejoice the feeling of living in a free and independent state.”

He said, “The Independence Day imparts us the story of how founding fathers of Pakistan strived to establish a separate homeland for us and for our forefathers despite severe hardships.”