KARACHI: Dressed in their school uniforms, children presented skits, sang national songs and made speeches to mark Independence Day of Pakistan celebrated at the Pakistan American Cultural Centre (PACC) under the aegis of the US consulate general on Tuesday.

In her welcome speech, assistant director of the English Language Programme of PACC Khadija Malik said commemoration of Independence Day was a time when a nation, especially its youth, must think about where they were headed.

“We have so many glorious examples in front of us when it comes to our history. But how many of us actually follow them?” she said.

Public affairs officer at the US consulate Corina Sanders said Pakistan was full of young people for whom “this is the right time to ask themselves what it means to be a Pakistani”.

Next in the line were speeches made by students Areeb Khan and Faryal Rafique. Both spoke about the current situation of the country and how they dreamt to see a “prosperous Pakistan”.

Faryal Rafique said she dreamt of a Pakistan where children were educated and the adults supportive.

Areeb Khan said that in the present situation the country could survive “with dignity only when we take responsibility for our actions”.

He ended his speech saying: “We should aspire to keep renewing our hopes, as this is the only way we can move forward”.

Two skits were presented soon after the speeches.

One skit was about a flock of birds which flew all over the world and found Pakistan most beautiful and diverse.

The other skit revolved around the conversation between two students; one of them was a studious one while the other one was careless about studies and education in general.

In the discussion, the studious one told the other student about the great leaders who led the Pakistan Movement. Four other students played the roles of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

The next set of performers presented a dance number and national songs. A seventh class student, Tooba, played the tune of Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan on the flute, which was appreciated by all.

By the end of the programme, all students were given prizes and those who performed extraordinarily were specially mentioned.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2014