Independence Day of Pakistan 2025

 Independence Day of Pakistan

Independence Day, observed annually on 14 August, is a national holiday in Pakistan. It commemorates the day when Pakistan achieved independence from the United Kingdom and was declared a sovereign state following the termination of the British Raj between the 14th and 15th August 1947.

Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025

Celebrations: Parades, Award ceremonies, singing patriotic songs and the national anthem, speeches by the president and prime minister

Liturgical color: Green and White

Observed by: Pakistan and Pakistanis worldwide (Pakistani Diaspora)

Significance: Commemorates the independence of Pakistan

The Independence Day, in Pakistan, is a national holiday that is held on the 14th of August in each year. The Indian Independence Act that was adopted on July 18, 1947, signified the end of the rule of Britain and led to the development of the independent state of Pakistan as a state where Muslim inhabitants of the Indian sub- continent could receive a homeland. It is also the anniversary of the division of British India into two states, India and Pakistan that came into being on the stroke of midnight on August 14-15, 1947. The Independence Day is August 15 (in India).

Muslim League, 1940After a dinner party in 1940, the leaders of the Muslim League pictured.

The rule of the British in the sub continent started in 1757 when the British East India Company started taking control of the area after the British defeated the French in the Battle of Plassey. The East India Company continued to reign serving 100 years and succeeded by the direct British rule (also popularly known as the British raj) following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It was a movement that was led largely by Mohandas K. Gandhi to achieve independence and a peaceful ouster of colonial power, Indian Independence Movement. All-India Muslim League leaders were also in support of the British withdrawal and this in its initial stages, demanded Hindu-Muslim unity within a single independent India. However, the League led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah under the Lahore Resolution of 1940, began to establish the necessity of creating a separate Muslim state since Muslims were feared to be sidelined politically in India dominated by Hinduism.

Firing of fireworks at Minar-e-Pakistan

Fireworks at Minar-e-PakistanCrowd looks at fireworks set off at Minar-e-Pakistan national monument in Lahore on August 13, 2024 the eve of Independence Day.

Pakistan celebrates Independence Day through flag hoisting, processions, and national anthem of the country. Such leaders like the prime minister and the president give speeches reflecting the sacrifices made towards gaining independence and the accomplishments made by the country. 

August 14 can be a day of two liberations because it was the day when Pakistan attained its Independence. The Muslim Indians also struggled to be free of the British rule and subsequently re-armed to fight their own nation state, Pakistan nowadays which was part of the Indian sub continent. Once the British quelled the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Crown took complete charge in the days of the British Raj. This was till the independence of Pakistan in 1947.  The Mountbatten Plan divided the Indian region into West and East Pakistan and separated it as a partitioned Muslim country. East Pakistan was liberated and the country came to be known as Bangladesh in 1971.  Pakistan today is just West Pakistan.

The grand Independence Day ceremony holds a place in Islamabad where a national flag is raised at the Parliament House and Presidency House. This is followed by the national anthem and broadcast speeches of the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan that are widely spread on the flyers and televised.

History of Independence Day of Pakistan

The three of them; Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh, were initially a single overly huge area or land referred to as the Indian subcontinent. Since the introduction and subsequent adherence to the religion of Islam occurred in the subcontinent, there were instances of disturbance of peace as there was a clash, and oppression of Muslims by the Hindus. The Muslim minority in the country had to be guarded and intellectualization and philosophies were established after the War of Independence in 1857.

The situation was not favorable to the Muslim community yet with their courage and faith, subjugated Muslims living in the subcontinent could manage to fulfill their dreams of freedom. All India Muslim league was formed in 1906 and on 1 October 1906, a group of 36 Muslim leaders met the viceroy of India at Simla to submit their demand that there should be a separate state of Muslims.