Celebrating Pakistan Independence Day on 14 August

Pakistani people celebrate Pakistan Independence Day as a national holiday with great enthusiasm as on 14th August, Pakistan came into being as an independent state in 1947 after the partition of British India. The celebration highlights the political and economic struggle of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent at that time and honours national heroes that took part in the evolution and making. Pakistan's independence celebration concludes with several events, game shows, circus, military expos, brand sales, songs and poetry (Milli Nagham) competitions and welfare work. There are different ways to celebrate but we will suggest positive 14 August Celebration Ideas.

While looking into history, when World War 2 was on end and the British government was suffering from several crises after the war, then newly elected British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced to leave British India before on June 1947. Soon after that, Lord Mountbatten met with several political leaders of that time to make both Hindu and Muslim political parties agree according to the Indian Independence Act of 1947 passed in the British parliament. Sir Mountbatten decided to announce the independence of the Muslim majority area, namely, Pakistan on 14 August and 15 August for India as he wanted to attend the power transfer ceremonies in both the independent states.

In the past 75 years, Pakistan has gone through tough and war-torn situations. Since its birth, the state had faced injustice in the distribution of the industrial zones/assets. All the assets that came under the ownership of Pakistan were obsolete, rotten and economically ill to support the country’s development. However, the founder of Pakistan, namely, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah kept motivating and fighting his disease of Tuberculosis for the sake of Pakistan. The state has passed through the tough times of war and terrorism. Despite the instability in politics and military power, Pakistanis have proved that they are a distinct nation in their nature as they are self-sufficient in surviving the worst periods of the world.

We (Pakistanis) spend thousands of rupees on fashionable items, Pakistan Independence Day cards, garments/wears and decorations of our buildings, offices and homes with national flags. Currently, the 14th August event has now become the most profitable business as bulks of cotton rolls, plastic polymer and non-biodegradable materials are used in the manufacturing of items to meet the demands of the people. Unfortunately, once the Pakistan Independence Day date passed, all the hoisted flags came down and some of them were worn out of their supports while falling to the floors and tops. And I think this is unethical and disrespectful for us and what’s the impact we wanna make after doing all these things? More than this, I have never seen any international news channel airing the Independence Day celebration in Pakistan. It’s a shame for us to have our children all watching this behaviour of the flag that was hoisted proudly but lost its value just after a day.

I have also seen that shopkeepers who sell out greeting cards, kid’s garments, bands, stickers, face painting ware and perishable items are used to steal the electricity to run their power backups and sound systems. Not only this, but they also encroach on city streets and main roads without any permission. Hence, a forced encroachment led the native citizens to face the warm traffic. I don’t wanna go deep but the sole purpose of my Pakistan independence blog is to introduce my audience to the positive practices and ways that can make their identity in the community look bold and a symbol of true patriotism.

What about achieving and working on the SDGs set by the United Nations? Sure, we are talking about the UN’s sustainable development goals that are required by every nation to achieve their full working capacity. Do you know that Pakistan is at the top of the list of countries highly affected by global warming or climate change and is soon to face a water crisis? Are we ready to cope with the disaster that will erode the natural habitat? Last year, the City of Sindh, KARACHI went through the record-breaking shocking heat waves that caused the deaths of thousands of citizens due to unsuitable temperatures in their environment. Administration and NGOs alone can’t make an effect in mass but being in a national community can combat our problems.

1. Cleaning

Cleaning your street and belongings can be a good idea to celebrate your day. Taking out all the trash, sand and dust from the footpaths of your colony can give it a new look.

Taking part in cleaning the hospitals is also a great way to show patriotism and own your institutions and people who work day and night to save the lives of thousands of people who don’t take any leaves during these special days.

How about washing and cleaning the floors of your neighbouring mosque? We utilize the Islamic centres and mosques several times a day but never take part in them. So, this is a good time for you to pay your respect to the holy place because it's more than piousness.

You may even join local welfare organizations that invite members for volunteer work to pick up the trash, tin cans and paper pieces from the beaches and amusement parks. Although, installing 3 dust bins cage in a public place can help garbage recyclers collect glass, paper and metal from each container.

2. Plantation

Today Pakistan is among the countries that are highly affected by climate change. Give your time and money to seed bombing to grow the trees and plants in mass. Seed bombing is cheap and time-saving in comparison to traditional plantations. Areas of Tharparkar, Mithi, and Manghopeer in Karachi are the best sites to seed bombs. And Definitely, the Seed bombing may become a reason for you to visit places that you have never visited.

Decorate your beautiful home with flowering plants such as Hoya Carnosa, Pink Anthurium, Hydrangeas, Orchids, and White Poinsettia. Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata) can be a good addition to your indoor rooms because it had air purification properties. Try planting moringa trees and small twigs in your home garden. A Neem Tree is the national tree of Sindh and it has several health benefits if its leaves are consumed.

Planting a Eucalyptus tree can help you to combat the saltation issues in the affected areas in your locality.

3. Blood Donation

There are a thousand ways in which you can donate but blood donation is a somewhat distinct donation that a human can do. Blood donors are seen as life savers and have unique recognition in their community. And I think that donating blood is the purest form of donation because no one can live without it and thousands of blood patients’ lives are dependent on the donor’s contribution.

Benefits:

• Reduce the chance of heart attack.
• Reduces cancer risk.
• Help new red blood cells to reproduce or regenerate.
• One blood donation can save almost 3 lives.

4. Giving Away a Water Filter Plant

Join your hands with a leading welfare organization to set up water filtration plants in the slump areas where the scarcity of water has etched the lives of poor folks. The rise in arsenic material and mercury are the main reasons for death from drinking water that is not processed. Currently, organizations are offering a learning opportunity to the volunteers to work on the cutting-edge technology and installation of desalination water plants in GWADAR, Baluchistan.

5. Visiting Old Age & Orphanage Homes

Take away some time for the old age individuals who are left with no relatives and belongings. Let them share their experiences and stories with you as some of them might be professionals. Allow them to guide you in your career path and live a healthy life ahead.

The same goes for the orphans who are left with no parents. Don’t hesitate to purchase them new dressing and toys. SOS Villages in Pakistan are doing great to educate and support the parenting of orphans. I hope in this way you can make their day awesome.

6. Watch the parade & Patriotic Landmarks

Annually, the Government of Pakistan organizes military parades and defence expos in the main cities. Pakistan Independence Day sale emerges with several stalls of food, candies, clothing, bags, gadgets and handcrafts that are the main focal point of the visitors reaching there. Selfie stands are attractive enough to make your 14th August day photo snap.

But what if you don’t enjoy in the places where rush, is the main issue? Hence, I would suggest you go for a nature walk in your region. Camping in the forests and food farms can make you happy and reduce your anxiety and work stress. A natural walk and discovering the wild habitat can be soothing for your eyes so, why don’t you take a day out for brain therapy?

Go for an outing with your family at national landmarks and beautiful landscapes. The main cities have patriotic monuments and statues depicting the heroic moments of national heroes. Among those statues, the statue of Muslim Freedom Fighter “General Hosh Muhammad Sheedi” is very famous in HYDERABAD City of Sindh province.

7. Making Street Walls free from Chalking

Let's collaborate with painters and street graffiti artists who wanna make a change. Paint industries are looking for artists that can make beautiful use of their products and sponsors. Help the paint artists in removing the chalking and sprayed slogans from the public walls. The advertisement on walls from political parties and clinics have largely made the cities look bad. Even though some walls are damaged due to the continuous pasting of the posters one after another without removing previous ones. Let's make your hands dirty and help wall painters to scrap posters and recover them to make amazing graffiti depicting Pakistan’s culture.

8. Watching Patriotic Movies

It’s a good idea to spend your day but keep in mind that you would no longer be impacting the community. Patriotic movies can stimulate your brain to stick with the laws and founding principles of the nation. All you can learn from the movies is love, serving and a sense of ownership.

9. Baking Patriotic Sweets

Preparing green sweets at home can add another flavour to your celebrations. Add topping to your favourite dishes and prepare desserts with love. Baking can be fun for you if you are trying it for the first time and can engage your friends to help you out in cooking delicious food.

List of Sweets in Pakistan:

• Anarsa
• Akhrot ka Halwa
• Jalebi
• Falooda
• Kalakand
• Luddo
• Firni
• Gulab Jaman
• Pete ki Mithai
• Sohan Halwa
• Patisa

So, readers get ready for Pakistan’s national holiday and spend your day unwinding! Wishing you a Happy Independence Day! Dil Dil Pakistan.