Pakistan Day held sans traditional fervor amid COVID-19

ISLAMABAD / KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan on Monday marked its National Day sans the traditional fervor as the country remains partially locked down amid a rising number of coronavirus cases.

All the celebratory events, including a traditional military parade in capital Islamabad, were called off as troops have been deployed in major cities to assist the government in enforcing measures against the outbreak.

The only events held were a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21 gun-salute in the four provincial capitals.

The day commemorates the Lahore Resolution adopted on March 23, 1940 in which the Muslim leaders of the sub-continent set the agenda of a separate homeland.

On March 23, 1956, the country also adopted its first constitution, making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic.

In separate messages, President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan paid tributes to the country’s founding fathers vowing to follow in their footsteps to make Pakistan a cradle of peace, progress and stability.

The two leaders ceased the opportunity to reiterate Islamabad's support to the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan will stand shoulder to shoulder with them and will continue its moral, political and diplomatic support for their legitimate right of self-determination,” Alvi said.

Khan urged the nation to follow all the precautionary measures to defeat the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkish ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul in a tweet said: “Longlive Friendship” and shared a model of Minar-e-Pakistan, a monument which represents the site where the historic resolution was adopted.

Pakistan has so far reported six deaths from coronavirus and confirmed 803 cases, according to health authorities.

The coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 167 countries and territories as it was declared a pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 339,000 while the death toll has exceeded 14,700 and over 98,800 have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.