KARACHI: The passing of Pakistan Resolution of 1940 was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fanfare in Sindh on Wednesday.

In Karachi, 75th Pakistan Day dawned with a 21-gun salute by Navy along with prayers for Pakistan’s solidarity.

There were flag-hoisting ceremonies and illuminations at all important buildings of the city. The Navy also organised such ceremonies.

A boat rally of local fishermen, debate competitions and rallies by students were held in Ormara and Gwadar.

The Board of Management of the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum-Institute of Nation Building organised an event at the museum. The flag hoisting ceremony was performed by Liaquat H. Merchant, senior vice chairman and grandnephew of the Quaid-i-Azam and board members.

A student band from the Ida Rieu School for special children played the national anthem.

They sang national songs along with students of Jinnah Foundation School and Hamdard Foundation School.

Rare photos of Quaid-i-Azam

A special exhibition of rare photos through the lens of Z.D. Barni (Agha Ziauddin Barni) opened at the State Bank Museum.

Before 1947, Z.D. Barni was working with the Ministry of Information and he continued in that capacity in the newly-formed Pakistan. He accompanied the Quaid-i-Azam on official tours.

He also filmed and photographed the funeral and last rites of the Quaid.

According to Dr Asma Ibrahim, director of the SPB Museum, the granddaughter of Mr Barni, Zarreen Baqir, was kind enough to offer to display her grandfather’s rare collection of photographs from the family archives.

Mr Barni’s sudden death in 1980 left many things unattended but his careful and professional way of storing all his photos is evident from the collection.

The photographs make you see them and then turn around to come back to them again. There is the elegant tall figure of the Quaid-i-Azam making speeches, walking alongside his sister Miss Fatima Jinnah, attending public gatherings, taking the guard of honour, saluting, shaking hands, taking oath as Governor General, having tea, reading wearing his monocle in the right eye, smoking, sitting in his drawing room, in sherwani, in suit and tie.

Along with this exhibition, also to commemorate Pakistan Resolution Day, there was a digital exhibition of rare commemorative stamps, coins, souvenir sheets and medals issued on March 23 over the years.

Bicycle Marathon

A Pakistan Day Bicycle Marathon was organised in North Nazimabad.

More than 400 cyclists took part in the race. The cyclists, including young children from age six and up to 60 years and older, pedalled over a 20km route from 9am to 12 noon.

Women’s Power Run

A special Pakistan Day five-kilometre Women’s Power Run 2022 was organised at Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue at 7am in which hundreds of runners participated. Leading sports personalities, including youth athletes, also attended the event.

In accordance with the day, in the evening there was a cultural music and dance show with food stalls, face painting, live sketches and more organised by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts at the National Museum.

PTI rally

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf took out a rally from Insaf House to the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum to mark the day.

The leaders and workers also vowed to stand by with Prime Minister Imran Khan facing serious challenge of no-confidence vote by opposition parties.

PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said that enthusiasm of the nation was clear manifestation that Pakistan was going to be a great country under the leadership of Imran Khan.

TLP event

The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan also took out a big rally from Karachi airport to Mazar-i-Quaid led by its chief Hafiz Saad Rizvi.

A large number of party workers riding on motorbikes, cars and other modes of transport drove through Sharea Faisal and Shahra-i-Quaideen to reach the mausoleum.

In their speeches, the TLP leaders criticised the rulers for “making life of common man difficult” as growing inflation, fast shrinking economy and uncertain financial conditions posed big problems to the people.

Other cities of Sindh

Processions were taken out and rallies were staged across Sindh to celebrate Pakistan Day.

In Hyderabad, Dadu, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Sukkur and Jacobabad, town administrations, academic institutions, members of religious and political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami, and various trade unions staged walks, rallies and seminars to observe the day.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2022