Pakistan, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and is the world’s fifth biggest country in terms of population, exceeding 212.2 million people. Pakistan is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China to the northeast. The country now known as Pakistan wasn’t always so, and it is a country with a rich and interesting history intertwined with that of the greater Indian subcontinent.
What is Pakistan’s Independence Day?
Pakistan’s Independence Day falls on the same date every year, August 14, and is celebrated throughout the country, starting in 1947 – the day the nation became an independent state.
Before it gained its independence, Pakistan was a part of the Indian sub-continent, and was under British Indian rule.
The India-Pakistan subcontinent was under British rule from 1849 – 1947, but the states’ inhabitants did not necessarily approve of the British presence.
An uprising occurred in 1857 against the East India Trading Company, which formed a freedom movement highlighting the efforts of the people in British India in gaining their independence.
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Muslims rules the subcontinent before the invasion of the British Empire and greatly suffered during the 1857 uprising.
The uprising led to the formation of British India’s biggest political party in 1885, the Indian National Congress.
Major Muslim political leaders were members of the Indian National Congress and worked towards uniting Hindus and Muslims in an independent India.
However, not everyone in the subcontinent was happy about this, and a number of people wanted to go down a different path.
The Mountbatten Plan, named after Lord Mountbatten and also called the Indian Independence Act 1947, saw Pakistan gain independence from British rule on August 14, 1947.
When it was first established, Pakistan had two parts and was commonly referred to as East and West Pakistan.
However, in 1971, East Pakistan officially parted from West Pakistan and formed the country known today as Bangladesh.
India’s Independence Day is celebrated the following day, August 15, and commemorates the day India became free of British rule.
How is Pakistan Independence Day celebrated?
Many people attend Independence Day parades dressed in white and green, the colours of Pakistan’s flag.
People visit national monuments and places of national significance to pay their respects to Independence Day.
This is also a time in which Pakistani residents exchange gifts and spend time with relatives and friends.