ISLAMABAD: An impressive and marvellous ceremony marking Pakistan Day celebrations was held here at the President House on Sunday.
President Mamnoon Hussain along with Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived the venue in a traditional horse carriage as the chief guest on the occasion.
The President and the Prime Minister hoisted the national flag to mark the beginning of the auspicious event.
The ceremony started with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. The national anthem was played followed by popular national songs sung by a group of young school boys and girls led by famous singers Anwar Rafi and Humaira Channa.
A smartly turned-out contingent of Pakistan Armed Forces, including Army, Navy and Air Force, presented the guard of honour which was reviewed by President Mamnoon Hussain.
The contingent of armed services also held a march-past before the President and the Prime Minister.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mehmood, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila, Senate Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, members of the federal cabinet and a large number of diplomats were also present at the ceremony.
A fleet of 12 fighter jets and nine helicopters from the Pakistan Air Force led by Wing Commander Ronald Afzal performed an eye catching and fantastic fly-past over the President House.
The fleet of different formations included JF-17 Thunder, indigenously designed fighter jet with assistance of China, F-7P and jets flown by a team of Basic Flying Training (BFT) Wing PAF named Sherdil followed by MI-17, Cobra gunship helicopters etc; from the 101 Pakistan Army Aviation Group led by Lt Colonel Ahsan ul Haq Qazi.
The spectators gathered on the occasion cheered warmly to acknowledge the flying skills of PAF pilots and pay tributes to the unforgettable sacrifices offered by the armed forces for the defence of the country.
At the conclusion of the event, a marvellous display of musical skills was also displayed by the oldest military band of the world, 'Mehter', a contingent of musical band from the brotherly country Turkey.
The soul stirring performance of the band was followed by an all popular national song 'Jeway Jeway Pakistan', which drew loud applause from the audience.
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