KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistanis celebrated their republic day on Wednesday amid a display of the country's military might at a parade.

The traditional military parade, the highlight of the day, was held in the capital Islamabad, and attended by President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in all the four provincial capitals, followed by change-of-guards ceremonies at the mausoleums of Quaid-I-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the South Asian nation, in the port city of Karachi, and the mausoleum of Allama Mohammad Iqbal, the national poet, in the northeastern city of Lahore.

Similar ceremonies were also held in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, state-run Pakistan Television reported. 

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Pakistan's National Day

The day coincided with a two-day conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) foreign ministers.

Foreign ministers and delegates from 57 Islamic countries attended the parade. Turkiye's Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is attending the OIC summit as a special guest, were also in attendance.

Contingents of Turkish and Azerbaijan militaries also took part in the parade.

A live telecast by Pakistan Television showed thousands of men, women and children waving national flags, and rising to their feet and clapping when the Turkish military contingent entered the parade ground.

"Long live Pak-Turk friendship," said the commentator as President Alvi received a salute from the commander of the Turkish contingent.

A similar standing ovation was received by the Azerbaijani contingent as the commentator introduced them as "the victorious", with brief facts on a recent 24-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Arms Display​​​​​​​

The event is held annually on March 23 and commemorates the independence resolution -- commonly known as Pakistan Resolution -- in Lahore in 1940, which demanded for the first time an independent state, comprising Muslim-majority states in the then United India under British colonial rule.

The passing of the landmark resolution subsequently led to the creation of Pakistan on Aug. 14, 1947, marking the end of over 150 years of British colonial rule.

The troops of Bahrain, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia also took part in the parade.

Several units from Pakistan’s army, air force, and navy participated in the parade. Fighter jets, including the newly inducted J-10, JF-17, and F-16 also held a fly past before the crowds.

The nuclear-capable missiles Hatf, Ghouri and Nasr were also displayed.

Addressing the parade, President Alvi said his country wants to have cordial relations with all its neighbors on the basis of "peaceful coexistence."

However, he said, Islamabad is fully "ready and capable" of thwarting any aggression.

Voicing concern over a rising tide of Islamophobia in the West, Alvi called for joint efforts from the Islamic countries to counter this phenomenon.