Pakistan Day Parade
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 Staff (Pakistan)|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, 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 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 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. The 2021 Pakistan Day Parade was postponed due to "inclement weather and rain" and was rescheduled to March 25. 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. The parade was then postponed to March 25 due to "inclement weather", but it was cancelled the next day.
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.
Details
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. Simultaneously 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 Air Force Academy">Chief of Air Staff (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 forces that are present include the Pakistan Military Academy Band, the Pakistan Armed Forces Band and the Pakistan Air Force Band.
Accidents and incidents
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. 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. |
| 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. 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, 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 Irfan Ahmed Khan | 12 Baluch 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 |  IraqForeign contingentsAlong 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:
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Turkey