Pakistan Marks 79th Independence Day with Fireworks, Midnight Rallies

Fireworks lit up the sky over Islamabad at midnight as crowds took to the streets across Pakistan to celebrate the 79th anniversary of the country's independence. Waving national flags and chanting patriotic slogans, citizens in green and white filled roads and public spaces, with women and children joining the late-night festivities.

Pakistan gained independence on August 14, 1947, following the end of British colonial rule and the partition of the Indian subcontinent. Official ceremonies, including flag-raising events, were scheduled to continue on Friday.

This year's celebrations also featured the inauguration in Islamabad of the "Yadgar-e-Fatah" (Monument of Victory), commemorating what Pakistan describes as the "Battle of Truth" against India last year.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan desires peace, not war, but cautioned that this should not be mistaken for weakness. He warned that any threat to the country's sovereignty would draw a strong response, referencing the four-day conflict with India in May 2025.

That fighting erupted after gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants, a charge Islamabad denied. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged missile, drone, and other strikes before a ceasefire halted the hostilities.

Sharif also criticized India for suspending a water-sharing treaty after the conflict — a decades-old World Bank-brokered agreement governing the use of waters from the Indus River system. "Every drop of water is our red line," he said, warning that Pakistan would respond if India threatened its water supplies.