Pakistan Day Parade
The Pakistan Day Parade also known as the National Day Joint Services Parade is an annual event held at Shakarparian in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on the occasion of the Pakistan Day. It specifically celebrates the anniversary of the Lahore Resolution of 1940. It is overseen by the President of Pakistan as well as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The two are accompanied by Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Army Staff Chief, Naval Staff Chief, and Air Force Staff Chief as well as foreign guests on occasion. It is organised by Joint Staff Headquarters.
History
Between its inception and 2008, the parade was held at various venues in the country. These include Constitution Avenue, Jinnah Avenue and the Race Course Grounds in Rawalpindi. 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. In 2008, the parade was suspended for an extended period of time due to the growing amount of terrorism in the country and fears that an attack on the parade was imminent.After a 7-year break, it was reconstituted in 2015 on the 75th anniversary. 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. As a precaution however, phone networks were blocked to thwart militants mobile cellular signals that could trigger bombs.
The 80th anniversary parade was cancelled in 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Pakistan, with the cancellation being an attempt to midigate the fall out from the pandemic. During the rehearsals for the planned parade, a Pakistani Air Force Wing Commander flying in an F-16 jet was killed when it crashed in a wooded area.
On March 13, 2020, A missing man formation would later be flown by the PAF on 13 March to honor the pilot.
Details
It begins in the morning at 10 a.m. and is immediately broadcast live by the Pakistani media. At the parade, the services of the Pakistani Armed Forces are represented: the Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary forces. and the presidential arrival honors. The parade is led by a parade commander who is a senior officer in an army unit. Led by a massed color guard, the parade has consisted of units such as the 24th Cavalry, the Guard Battalion and the Pakistan Rangers. Military equipment that have been unveiled at the parade have included the Type 84 and the SLC-2. 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.
Bands from the armed froces that are present include the Pakistan Military Academy Band, the Pakistan Armed Forces Band and the Pakistan Air Force Band.
Parade Commanders
From 1956 to 2019, the following officers from the army have led the joint services parade:| Year | Officer | Unit | Notes |
| 1983 | Brigadier Nasir Mehmood | 1st Punjab Regiment | . |
| 1987 | Brigadier Afzal Janjua SJ | FF Regt | Later Lt. Gen. |
| 1989 | Brigadier Yasub Dogar | 2 FF Regiment | |
| 1996 | Brigadier Naveed Nasr | 17 Punjab Regiment | Also commanded 70 Punjab |
| 1997 | Brigadier Javed Iqbal | 18 Field Regiment | MS to Nawaz Sharif in 1999 |
| 1998 | Brigadier Akram Sahi | FF Regt | Later Maj. Gen. |
| 1999 | Brigadier Khalid Nawaz Janjua | 3 Baluch Regt | Later Lt. Gen. |
| 20xx | Brigadier Badar Munir | AK Regt | |
| 2005 | Brigadier Naushad Kiani | Punjab Regt | Later Maj. Gen. |
| 2007 | Brigadier Tariq Ghafoor | FF Regt | Later Maj. Gen. |
| 2008 | Brigadier Ihsan ul Haq | Later Maj. Gen. | |
| 2015 | Brigadier Khurram Sarfaraz | 27 Baluch Regt | |
| 2016 | Brigadier Amir Majeed | 29 AK Regt | |
| 2017 | Brigadier Amer Ahsan Nawaz | 3 Baluch Regt | Now Lt. Gen. |
| 2018 | Brigadier Amer Amin | 19 FF Regt |
Foreign representation
Foreign dignitaries who have attended the parade
From 1956 to 2019, the following foreign dignitaries who have attended parade are:| Year | Foreign dignitary | Country | Notes |
| 1985 | General Rudini | Indonesia | Chief of staff Indonesian Army |
| 1987 | Robert Mugabe | Zimbabwe | President of Zimbabwe |
| 1996 | Cassam Uteem | Mauritius | President of Mauritius |
| 1997 | OIC Heads of States | OIC Members | To attend Extra-Ordinary OIC Summit |
| 2005 | Hamid Karzai | President of Afghanistan | |
| 2018 | Maithripala Sirisena | Sri Lanka | President of Sri Lanka |
| 2019 | Mahathir Mohamad | Malaysia | Prime Minister of Malaysia |
| 2019 | Colonel General Zakir Hasanov | Minister of Defence |