Not to be confused with. It commemorates the day when Pakistan achieved independence and was declared a nation following the end of the in 1947. Pakistan came into existence as a result of the , which aimed for the creation of an independent state in the north-western regions of via. The movement was led by the under the leadership of. The event was brought forth by the under which the gave independence to the which comprised present-day Pakistan and now. In the , the day of independence coincided with Ramadan 27, the eve of which, being , is regarded as sacred by Muslims. It is followed by the and live televised speeches by leaders. Usual celebratory events and festivities for the day include flag-raising ceremonies, parades, cultural events, and the playing of. A number of award ceremonies are often held on this day, and hoist the national flag atop their homes or display it prominently on their vehicles and attire. The area constituting Pakistan was historically a part of the throughout much of the nineteenth century. The begun their trade in in the 17th century, and the started from 1757 when they won the. Following the , the led to the assuming direct control over much of the. All-India Muslim League was founded by the at , in 1906, in the context of the circumstances that were generated over the division of Bengal in 1905 and the party aimed at creation of a separate Muslim state. The period after World War I was marked by British reforms such as the , but it also witnessed the enactment of the repressive and strident calls for self-rule by Indian activists. The widespread discontent of this period crystallized into nationwide non-violent movements of non-cooperation and civil disobedience. The idea for a separate Muslim state in the northwest regions of South Asia was introduced by in his speech as the President of the Muslim League in December 1930. Like Iqbal, was left out of the proposal made by Rahmat Ali. In the 1940s, as the Indian independence movement intensified, an upsurge of helmed by the All-India Muslim League took place, of which Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the most prominent leader. During a three-day general session of All-India Muslim League from 22—24 March 1940, a formal political statement was presented, known as the , which called on for the creation of an independent state for Muslims. In 1956, 23 March also became the date on which Pakistan transitioned from a dominion to a , and is known as. Pakistan is a great country. Independence In 1946, the in Britain, exhausted by recent events such as and numerous riots, realized that it had neither the mandate at home, the support internationally, nor the reliability of the for continuing to control an increasingly restless. The reliability of the for continuing their control over an increasingly rebellious India diminished, and so the government decided to end the British rule of the Indian Subcontinent. The Muslim majorities, who disagreed with the idea of single state, stressed the idea of a separate Pakistan as an alternative. Eventually, in February 1947, Prime Minister announced that the British government would grant full self-governance to British India by June 1948 at the latest. On 3 June 1947, the British government announced that the principle of division of British India into two independent states was accepted. The successor governments would be given dominion status and would have an implicit right to secede from the. He chose 14 August as the date of the ceremony of power transfer to Pakistan because he wanted to attend the ceremonies in both India and Pakistan. The act provided a mechanism for division of the Bengal and Punjab provinces between the two nations see , establishment of the office of the , conferral of complete legislative authority upon the respective , and division of joint property between the two new countries. The act later received on 18 July 1947. The partition was accompanied by , and the displacement of nearly 15 million people due to religious violence across the subcontinent; millions of Muslim, and refugees trekked the to Pakistan and India respectively in the months surrounding independence. On 14 August 1947, the new Dominion of Pakistan became independent and Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworn in as its first in Karachi. Independence was marked with widespread celebration, but the atmosphere remained heated given the communal riots prevalent during independence in 1947. The date of independence Since the transfer of power took place on the midnight of 14 and 15 August, the Indian Independence Act 1947 recognized 15 August as the birthday of both Pakistan and India. It marks the fulfillment of the destiny of the Muslim nation which made great sacrifices in the past few years to have its homeland. This is because Mountbatten administered the independence oath to Jinnah on the 14th, before leaving for India where the oath was scheduled on the midnight of the 15th. The night of 14—15 August 1947 coincided with 1366 of the , which Muslims regard as a sacred night. Independence Day fireworks at the in Lahore Official celebrations The independence day is one of the six and is celebrated all across the country. To prepare and finalise the plans for independence day celebrations, meetings are held in the by which are attended by government officials, diplomats, and politicians. Public organisations, educational institutions, and government departments organise seminars, sports competitions, and social and cultural activities leading up to the independence day. In Karachi, drives are initiated to clean and prepare the Jinnah Mausoleum for the celebration. The official festivities take place in Islamabad and commence with the raising of the national flag on the and the followed by a 31-gun salute in the capital and a in provincial capitals. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan address the nation in live telecasts. Government officials, political leaders and celebrities deliver messages or speeches during rallies, ceremonies and events, highlighting Pakistani achievements, goals set for the future, and praise the sacrifices and efforts of national heroes. Government buildings including the , , President House and are decorated and illuminated with lights and bright colours. A takes place at national monuments by the. The , and feature prominently in independence day parades. In the cities around the country, the flag hoisting ceremony is carried out by the mayor belonging to the respective constituency, and at various public and private departments the ceremony is conducted by a senior officer of that organisation. In 2017, the introduced a special jam session to entertain passengers traveling on Independence Day, featuring artists singing national songs on board a domestic flight. International governments, leaders and public figures also convey their greetings on the occasion. Overseas dignitaries are invited as chief guests in ceremonies, while foreign military contingents often participate in parades. National flags are displayed on major roads and avenues such as , Shahara-e-Quaideen, and Mazar-e-Quaid Road, leading up to Jinnah's mausoleum in Karachi. Public celebrations As the month of August begins, special stalls, fun fairs and shops are set up across the country for the sale of national flags, buntings, banners and posters, badges, pictures of national heroes, multimedia and other celebratory items. Vehicles, private buildings, homes, and streets are decorated with national flags, candles, oil lamps, pennants and buntings. Businesses engage in rigorous marketing, as do leading designer fashion outlets which stock independence-themed , jewellery and self-adornments. The day begins with special prayers for the integrity, solidarity, and development of Pakistan in and religious places across the country. Citizens attending independence day parades and other events are usually dressed in Pakistan's , green and white. Many people meet their friends and relatives, dine over , and visit recreational spots to mark the holiday. Public functions including elaborate firework shows, street parades, seminars, televised transmissions, music and poetry contests, children's shows and art exhibitions are a common part of the celebrations. Along with flag hoisting, the is sung at various government places, schools, residences, and monuments on the day, and patriotic slogans such as are raised. Musical concerts and dance performances are arranged both inside and outside the country, featuring popular artists. Homage is paid to the people who lost their lives during the migration and riots which followed independence in 1947, as well as martyrs of the and recipients of , and political figures, famous artists and scientists. The around the world organises cultural events to celebrate independence day; public parades are held in cities with large Pakistani populations, such as , and. In addition, from who hold are known to observe the day, with Indian authorities. The security is set up after various representatives of intelligence and investigation agencies meet. High alert is declared in sensitive areas such as the country's capital, to restrict security threats. Despite this, there have been instances where attacks have occurred on independence day by who boycott the celebrations as a part of their protest. On 13 August 2010, the country witnessed floods causing deaths of 1,600 people and affecting 14 million lives. On account of the calamity, the president made an announcement that there would not be any official celebration of the independence day that year. See also: From the beginning of August, radio channels play patriotic songs and various TV shows and programmes highlighting the history, culture, and achievements of Pakistan are broadcast. Popular national songs like and are played and sung all over the country. New patriotic songs are also released each year. The film released in 1998 follows the story of Jinnah and details the events leading up to the independence of Pakistan. The events during the independence of Pakistan are depicted in many literary and scholarly works. Ali Pur Ka Aeeli by is an autobiography narrating the account of bringing his family from to Lahore. Dirt and Blood by describes the sacrifices of Muslims of South Asia during independence. Three of the four stamps depicted places from Pakistan while the fourth stamp depicted a motif. In 1997, Pakistan celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence. The issued a special banknote of 5 depicting the tomb of on 13 August 1997, commemorating the 50th independence day. On the front of the note a star burst is encircled by Fifty Years Anniversary of Freedom in Urdu and '1947—1997' in numerals. In November 1997, the was held in , Lahore to mark the golden jubilee. During the final of the tournament, honoured all the living test cricket captains of Pakistan by parading them in horse-drawn carriages and presenting them with gold medals. On 14 August 2004, Pakistan displayed the largest flag of the time with the dimensions of 340 by 510 feet 100 m × 160 m. Since 2011, the Pakistan homepage has featured special designed with Pakistani symbols to mark Pakistan's Independence Day. Such symbols have included the star and crescent, national monuments and colours, historic and artistic representations, geographic landscapes and other national symbols. A Concise History of Modern India 2nd ed. Story of Pakistan: A Multimedia Journey. Retrieved 13 August 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2011. Britain's declining empire: the road to decolonisation, 1918—1968. By the end of 1945, he and the Commander-in-chief, were advising that there was a real threat in 1946 of large scale anti-British disorder amounting to even a well-organised rising aiming to expel the British by paralysing the administration. If, however, the Indian Army was to go the other way, the picture would be very different. In theory, it might be possible to revive and reinvigorate the services, and rule for another fifteen to twenty years, but:It is a fallacy to suppose that the solution lies in trying to maintain the status quo. We have no longer the resources, nor the necessary prestige or confidence in ourselves. India had always been a minority interest in British public life; no great body of public opinion now emerged to argue that war-weary and impoverished Britain should send troops and money to hold it against its will in an empire of doubtful value. With a war weary army and people and a ravaged economy, Britain would have had to retreat; the Labour victory only quickened the process somewhat. Retrieved 9 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2012. Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 24 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012. East to west and west to east perhaps ten million fled for their lives in the greatest exodus in recorded history. Archived from on 28 October 2006. Retrieved 7 January 2007. Indian Independence Act, 1947. Retrieved 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012. Fifty years of Pakistan stamps. The Most Comprehensive Colour Catalogue Pakistan Postage Stamps 11 ed. Retrieved 13 August 2012. This is the factual, formal and legal date of the birth of Pakistan. Retrieved 14 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012. Archived from on 16 August 2012. 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