Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day at a glance (with a bit of India)

When British rulers divided the subcontinent into two nations, it prompted the greatest mass migration of people in history and unleashed a wave of violence that claimed more than a million lives.

From the elderly survivors who endured the violent aftermath of the partition to the military commanders and angry nationalists whose hostility shows little sign of fading, these images powerfully depict how the legacy of partition continues to shape India and Pakistan today.

Pakistan kicked off a day of celebrations on Monday 15/8 marking 70 years of statehood and independence, the festivities beginning with gun salutes in the capital, Islamabad, and in each of the four provincial capitals.

In Karachi, visitors paid respects at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the country.

The Pakistan Air Force put on a spectacular air show, with Pakistani, Turkish and Saudi fighter jets flying over Islamabad as thousands of spectators watched from one of the city’s parks.

A government building is seen illuminated with national flag, ahead of Pakistan’s Independence Day in Lahore, Pakistan August 13, 2017.
Attendees wave Pakistan’s national flag while singing national songs at a ceremony to celebrate the country’s 70th Independence Day at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2017.
A girl holds a national flag as she attends a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2017.
People from Pakistani Sikh community celebrate the 70th Independence Day in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. Pakistan gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
A Pakistani vendor paints the color of the Pakistani flag on a girl’s face celebrating the 70th Independence Day in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. Pakistan gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
A man on the motor bike holds a national flag as he watches an air show to celebrate the 70th Independence Day in Islamabad, Pakistan August 14, 2017.

 

Source: Seventy years of India-Pakistan partition in pictures

Pakistan celebrates 70th Independence Day

More to read: Jinnah’s Pakistan

A Bangladeshi view of ’47 partition