LAHORE: All is set to celebrate the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan today with a resolve to work devotedly to make the country in accordance with vision of Founding Father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The day will dawn with 31-gun salute at the Federal Capital and 21-gun salute at the provincial headquarters.
Special prayers will be offered in mosques after Fajr for peace, solidarity and prosperity of the country. The main feature of the celebrations will be hoisting of the national flag in Islamabad. Similar flag hoisting ceremonies will also be held at provincial, divisional and district headquarters level throughout the country.
Buildings have been illuminated across the country while special functions will also be held. Radio and Television channel will present programmes highlighting the services of Pakistan Movement heroes’ and also pay tributes to their extra ordinary contributions for making Pakistan a reality.
Newspapers will bring out special supplements. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will launch the re-recorded national anthem composed with modern technology on the occasion of Independence Day.
Shehbaz is the second elected Prime Minister after Liaquat Ali Khan who will have this unique honour. The National Anthem has been re-recorded after 68 years, with the participation of 155 singers, 48 musicians and 6 bandmasters.
Moreover, President Dr Arif Alvi has announced remission in the sentences of prisoners under Article 45 of the Constitution.
Complete remission was granted to the elderly male prisoners who are 65 years of age or above and have undergone at least 15 years of jail term or more. Similarly, complete remission was also extended to those female prisoners having an age of 60 years or more and who had spent 10 years or more in jail, besides the same would be applicable to those prisoners who had completed ¾th of their substantive imprisonment terms. Those jail inmates would also get benefits of complete remission who had completed 20-year of their substantive sentences.
The jail sentences of general prisoners would be reduced by a fifth. However, the special remission would not be extended to those prisoners who are on death row and convicted in espionage, gang rape, bank robbery, anti-state activities, zina, abduction and dacoity cases.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022