KARACHI, Pakistan

Gun salutes, change-of-guards, and seminars marked the 148th birth anniversary of Pakistan’s founding leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah on Wednesday.

Commonly known as Quaid-i-Azam or the “great leader,” Jinnah was born on Dec. 25, 1876 in port city of Karachi, and led the movement of the Muslims of united India for creation of an independent homeland.

The movement successfully culminated in the creation of Pakistan on Aug. 14, 1947 following the end of British colonial rule on the sub-continent.

The day dawned with gun salutes in the federal and provincial capitals followed by a change of the guard’s ceremony at Jinnah’s mausoleum in Karachi, where a contingent of Pakistan Military Academy assumed guard duties.

Various political and social organizations held a string of ceremonies to pay tribute to the country’s founding father, who died in 1948 in Karachi.

In their messages, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to follow Jinnah’s vision of ”unity, justice, and equality.”

Zardari reiterated his commitment to religious harmony, mutual respect, and protection of minority rights in the country.

Sharif said that Jinnah dreamed of a Pakistan where every citizen could live with dignity, freedom, and equal opportunity, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.