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Today's Paper | December 23, 2024

Updated 12 Mar, 2018 05:38pm

Flights to, from Islamabad to be disrupted as PAF jets rehearse for March 23 parade

Timings for flights headed to or leaving Islamabad between March 12-22 have been revised to allow Pakistan Air Force jets to rehearse for the 23rd March Pakistan Day parade, a press statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.

The press release advised passengers to confirm the revised flight timings beforehand in order to "avoid any inconvenience" since Islamabad's airspace will remain closed from 8am-12:40pm and 2:30-4pm for the next 10 days, which would disturb the flight schedule.

Pakistan Day commemorates the passing of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire.

A joint military parade is the highlight of the day, with troops, nuclear-capable weapons, tanks, jets, drones and other weapons systems paraded for the citizenry as a way of showcasing the strength of the armed forces.

Last year, for the first time, troops from China and Saudi Arabia had also featured at the event. A historic Turkish military band had also played national anthems in their first performance at the annual event.

The Pakistan Day parade had resumed in 2015 after a gap of seven years and was seen as a manifestation of the military's show of strength in the wake of a shocking attack in 2014 on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, which left 150 dead, including 132 schoolchildren.

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