This is the first time the troops from Saudi Arabia and China are participating in the parade.

The fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) including F-16, Pak-China made JF-17 thunder and Sherdils also participated in the final full rehearsal ahead of March 23 parade. Locals in the federal capital, Islamabad, were thrilled by the amazing sight of these rehearsals.

Free fall jumps were performed by commandos and weapons of warfare including missiles were also showcased. Representation from all four provinces as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan was witnessed.

Also, troops from police, Rangers, Frontier Corps and SSG Commandos took part in the Pakistan Day parade full dress rehearsals.

Earlier, China had sent a 90-strong contingent, of which 72 members will participate in the parade, on the special invitation of Chief of Army Staffs General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

On the other hand, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that a Turkish military band is also slated to take part in the parade on Thursday.

It is pertinent to mention here that the military parade was 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.

Pakistan Day commemorates the passage of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, under which the Muslims of the British Indian Empire demanded a separate nation, as well as the declaration of Pakistan as an Islamic republic on the same day in 1956.