Pakistan Day Parade

Pakistan Day Parade یوم پاکستان پریڈ
Sherdil Aerobatic Team performing at Pakistan Day Parade
Genre	National patriotic parade
Begins	March 23
Ends	March 23
Frequency	Annual
Venue	Shakarparian Parade Ground
Location(s)	Islamabad, Pakistan
Country	Pakistan
Inaugurated	March 23, 1956
Most recent	March 23, 2025
Previous event	March 23, 2024
Next event	March 23, 2026
Website	https://ispr.gov.pk

The Pakistan Day Parade, also known as the National Day Joint Services Parade, is an annual event held at Shakarparian in Islamabad to commemorate the Pakistan Day, marking the anniversary of the 1940 Lahore Resolution. The parade is presided over by the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, alongside the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Foreign dignitaries often attend as special guests. The event is organised by Joint Staff Headquarters and showcases the country's military strength and national unity.

History

Between its inception and 2008, the parade was held at various venues in the country. These include Constitution Avenue, ^[1] Jinnah Avenue and the Race Course Grounds in Rawalpindi. ^[2] Over two weeks prior to the parade in 1980, a conspiracy to assassinate President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq by Major General Tajammul Hussain Malik during the ceremony was foiled. ^[3] In 2008, the parade was suspended for an extended period of time due to the growing terrorism in the country and fears that an attack on the parade was imminent. ^{[4] [5]}

After a 7-year break, it was reconstituted in 2015 on the 75th anniversary. ^[6] This decision was made in part to the anniversary's significance as well as the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb by the Pakistan Army. ^{[7] [8]} As a precaution however, phone networks were blocked to thwart militants mobile cellular signals that could trigger bombs. ^{[9] [10]}

Soldiers from the Mujahid Force Regiment during the parade in 2016.

The parade was cancelled due political situation in the country in 1969 and 1971. In 1972 and 2002 the parade was not held due to military’s deployment on the borders. In 2003 and 2004 the parade was not held once again due to regional situation, including war in Iraq and Afghanistan and sudden spike in terrorism in Pakistan. In 1975 and 1994 the parade was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The parade was cancelled in 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Pakistan, with the cancellation being an attempt to mitigate the fall out from the pandemic. ^[11] The 2021 Pakistan Day Parade was postponed due to "inclement weather and rain" and was rescheduled to March 25. ^[12] In early March 2023, it was announced that the 2023 Pakistan Day Parade will be held in a limited scale at Aiwan-e-Sadar due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country. ^[13] The parade was then postponed to March 25 due to "inclement weather", but it was cancelled the next day. ^[14]

The 2025 Pakistan Day Parade was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad, featuring contingents from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with a fly-past by PAF jets. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the event. Due to Ramadan, the parade was held on a limited scale. Traffic arrangements were made in Islamabad to facilitate the parade. The event highlighted military capabilities and national unity. ^{[15] [16] [17]}

Details

A group photo of the Frontier Force Regiment prior to the parade in 1974.

The first Republic Day parade, as it was then called, was held on 23 March 1956 to mark the day when Pakistan became a republic on the same day. The parade was held at Karachi where newly appointed President of Pakistan Iskander Ali Mirza took salute. Simoultaneously the parades were held in other major cities and military garrisons. Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army General Ayub Khan took salute in Rawalpindi. Local Governors or military commanders took salute in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Jhelum.

The Sherdils from the Pakistan Air Force Academy at Risalpur take part in the ceremony annually, performing formation aerobatics. On the planes used by the group, the Hongdu JL-8, has been showcased at the parade since 1994. Other aircraft such as the CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder have also been unveiled at the parade. ^{[18] [19]} Bands from the armed forces that are present include the Pakistan Military Academy Band (PMA Band), ^[20] the Pakistan Armed Forces Band and the Pakistan Air Force Band.

Accidents and Incidents

Members of the Pakistani Air Force during a parade rehearsal in 2016.

During the rehearsals for the planned parade on 23 March 2020, a Pakistani Air Force Wing Commander flying in an F-16 jet was killed when it crashed in a wooded area. ^{[21] [22] [23]} On March 13, 2020, A missing man formation would later be flown by the PAF on 13 March to honor the pilot.

Ironically PAF lost an aircraft during rehearsals in 1975 while the parade was later cancelled due to inclement weather on the morning of 23 March 1975.

On March 23 1987, a Mirage aircraft crashed on approach to the parade ground. Flight Lieutenant Saeed Iqbal was killed on impact.

Parade commanders

The following officers from the army have led the joint services parade:

Year	Officer	Unit	Notes
1958	Brigadier Abdul Qayyum Sher	16 Baluch Regiment	President Iskander Mirza took salute. Parade commander Brig AQ Sher was Comd 51 Brigade. In 1965 he commanded 22 Brigade and was awarded Hilal-e-Jurrat.
1960	Colonel SM Mustafa Khan	5 Horse & Guides Cavalry	Brig SM Mustafa was Station Commander Rawalpindi. C-in-C Gen Musa took salute. (At Rawalpindi. The central parade was held at Karachi, parade commander is not known.
1961	Colonel SM Mustafa Khan	5 Horse & Guides Cavalry	Brig SM Mustafa was Station Commander Rawalpindi. Brigadier Ata Muhammad took salute. The central parade was held at Dhaka where President Ayub took salute, parade commander is not known. General Musa Khan took salute at a parade in Kharian, Brigadier RG Hyder was parade commander)
1963	Brigadier Sadiqullah Khan	13th Frontier Force Rifles	For the first and only time the central parade was held at Lahore, capital of West Pakistan. However, President was unable to attend due to ill health. Nawab of Kalabagh took salute. At similar event at Dacca, Governor EP Abdul Munim Khan took salute
1964	Brigadier Azmat Hayat	Commander 10 Bde	Father of Yawar Hayat (PTV). Led 10 Brigade during Chammb offensive. Fly Past was led by Air Marshal Asghar Khan in a B-57 light bomber
1965	Brigadier Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi	2 Punjab and 5 Punjab Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
1966	Brigadier Zafar Ali Khan, HJ	Commander 102 Bde	Historic parade post 1965 War. Brig Zafar Ali Khan led 102 Bde during Chammb offensive and was awarded Hilal-i-Jurrat. All contingents were led by gallantry award winners. Prior to the parade the President distributed 153 gallantry awards to 152 recipients (two awards for Sarfaraz Rafiqui), including 35 posthumous awards. Included 1 x NH, 13 x HJ, 135x SJ and 2 x SBt.
1967	Brigadier Agha Ali Ibrahim Akram	1 FF Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
1970	Brigadier Iqbal Muhammad Khan
1973	Brigadier Akram Hussain Syed	5 H, 15 L, 22 C, 26 C	Special Service Group participated for the first time. Also for the first time, the Baluch Regiment contingent was dressed in the new camouflage smock.
1976	Brigadier Saadullah Khan, HJ	14 Punjab Regt.	Brig. Saadullah was recommended for the award of Nishan-i-Haider for valour during 1971 war and was awarded HJ. The new camouflage smock was worn by the entire parade.
1978	Brigadier Mustafa Anwar Hussain	2FF, 9FF & 11FF Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
1979	Brigadier Khawaja Rahat Latif	1 FF Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
1980	Brigadier Zafar Hayat	FF Regt.	Cultural and Industrial floats were included in the parade for the first time.
1982	Brigadier Rehmdil Bhatti	FF Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
1983	Brigadier Nasir Mehmood	1 Punjab Regt.
1985	Brigadier Sultan Mehmood	Baluch Regt.
1987	Brigadier Afzal Janjua, SJ	7 Punjab Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
1989	Brigadier Yasub Dogar	2 FF Regt. (Guides)
1990	Brigadier Jamshed Gulzar	22 Baluch Regt.	Later Lt. Gen. For the first time the parade was held in Islamabad.
1991	Brigadier Kamal Alam, TJ	12 Baluch Regt.
1993	Brigadier Abdul Qadir Baluch	41 Baluch Regt.	Later Lt. Gen. Governor of Baluchistan
1995	Brigadier Hamid Rabnawaz	FF Regt.	later Lt. Gen.
1996	Brigadier Naveed Nasr	17 Punjab Regt.	Also commanded 70 Punjab Regt.
1997	Brigadier Javed Iqbal	14 Field Regt.	MS to Nawaz Sharif in 1999
1998	Brigadier Akram Sahi	Punjab Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
1999	Brigadier Khalid Nawaz Janjua	3 Baluch Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
2000	Brigadier Sardar Mahmood Ali Khan	19 Punjab Regt.	Later Lt. Gen.
2001	Brigadier Badar Munir	5 AK Regt.	Also appeared in Sunehre Din and Alpha Bravo Charlie ), Pakistani TV series produced by ISPR
2005	Brigadier Naushad Kiani	Punjab Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
2007	Brigadier Tariq Ghafoor	20 FF & 11 FF Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
2008	Brigadier Ihsan ul Haq	25 FF Regt.	Later Maj. Gen.
2015	Brigadier Khurram Sarfaraz	27 Baluch Regt.	Now Maj. Gen.
2016	Brigadier Amir Majeed	29 AK Regt.	Now Maj. Gen.
2017	Brigadier Amer Ahsan Nawaz	3 Baluch Regt.	Now Lt Gen.
2018	Brigadier Amer Amin	19 FF Regt.	Now Maj. Gen.
2019	Brigadier Naseem Anwar	19 FF Regt.	Now Maj. Gen.
2021	Brigadier Azhar Yasin	23 Sind Regt.	Now Maj. Gen.
2022	Brigadier Muhammad Arsalan Tariq Ali	6 Punjab Regt.
2024	Brigadier Shahzad Ali Arshad	39 AK Regt.
2025	Major M. Faisal Yaqoob	12 FF Regt.

Foreign dignitaries

Foreign dignitaries have also been invited to Pakistan Day Parades on a regular basis. From 1964 to 2024, the following foreign dignitaries have attended the parade:

Year	Country	Foreign dignitary Guest of Honour	Notes
1964	Iraq	Abdul Salam Arif	President of Iraq
1965	United Kingdom	Prince Philip	Duke of Edinburgh
	Iran	Abbas Aram	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran
1985	Indonesia	General Rudini [24]	Chief of staff Indonesian Army
1987	Zimbabwe	Robert Mugabe	President of Zimbabwe
1996	Mauritius	Cassam Uteem [24]	President of Mauritius
1997	OIC Members	OIC Heads of States	To attend Extra-Ordinary OIC Summit
2005	Afghanistan	Hamid Karzai	President of Afghanistan [25]
2018	Sri Lanka	Maithripala Sirisena [26]	President of Sri Lanka
2019	Malaysia	Mahathir Mohamad [27]	Prime Minister of Malaysia
	Azerbaijan	Colonel General Zakir Hasanov [28]	Minister of Defence
2022	Niger	Hassoumi Massoudou	Foreign Minister of Niger
	Saudi Arabia	Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud	Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia
	China	Wang Yi	Foreign Minister of China
	Thailand	Don Pramudwinai	Foreign Minister of Thailand
	Tunisia	Othman Jerandi	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia
	Mauritania	Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed	Foreign Minister of Mauritania
	Turkmenistan	Raşit Meredow	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
	Northern Cyprus	Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Northern Cyprus
2024	Saudi Arabia	Khalid bin Salman Al Saud	Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia

Foreign contingents

Along with foreign guests, many foreign contingents have also participated in Pakistan Day Parades regularly since its inception in 1956. Most recently, the contingents of Chinese People's Liberation Army and Azerbaijan Army have participated in the parade. Following is a list of foreign contingents that have participated in the parades over the years:

Year	Country	Contingent
1956	Turkey	Janissary Military Band
	Iran	Iran Military Contingent
	Iraq	Iraq Military Contingent
	Turkey	Turkish Military Contingent
1956	Turkey	Janissary Military Band
	Iran	Iran Military Contingent
	Iraq	Iraq Military Contingent
	Turkey	Turkish Military Contingent
1967	Iran	Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF)
1982	Turkey	Janissary Military Band
1997	Turkey	Janissary Military Band
2017	China	Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion
	Turkey	Janissary Military Band [29]
2018	Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabian Special Forces
	UAE	UAE elite unit [30]
	Jordan	Jordanian Armed Forces Band
2019	Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan Army
	China	People's Liberation Army Air Force
	Turkey	Turkish Air Force
	Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabian Army (Paratroopers)
	Bahrain	Royal Bahraini Army (Paratroopers)
	Brunei	Royal Brunei Land Forces (Paratroopers)
	Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Army (Paratroopers)
2021	Turkey	Janissary Military Band
2022 [31]	Bahrain	Bahrain National Guard
	Uzbekistan	Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan
	Azerbaijan	Special Forces of Azerbaijan [32]
	Turkey	Turkish Armed Forces
	Saudi Arabia [33]	Royal Saudi Land Forces
2024 [34]	China	Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion
	Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan Army

See also

• Military parade
• Lahore Resolution
• Constitution of Pakistan of 1956

References

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24. Dawn.com (24 March 2015). "Relive Pakistan Day: 1940 – 2000". Dawn archives, 2015. Dawn archives. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
25. "Pakistan Parade 3 | AP Archive".
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27. "Pakistan Day celebrations: Civil-military leaders, foreign dignitaries attend military parade in Islamabad". Dawn. 23 March 2019.
28. "Azerbaijani Military contingent attended Pakistan Day Parade along with Defence Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov". 23 March 2019.
29. "Saudi Arabia, Chinese and Turkish Military contingents to participate in Pakistan Day parade on". Timesofislamabad.com. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
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34. "Nation celebrates Pakistan Day 2024 with impressive military parade". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 1 April 2024.