Pakistan Day

What the day marks

Two events give the date its meaning. The first is the Lahore Resolution, which the Muslim League adopted in 1940 after a session in Lahore. The second is the constitution that took effect on 23 March 1956, when Pakistan stopped being a dominion and became an Islamic republic. Under that constitution the Governor-General gave way to a President as ceremonial head of state. For a while the occasion was known as Republic Day. After Ayub Khan took power, when democracy in the country had ended, the name was changed to Pakistan Day.

The Lahore Resolution

The Muslim League met at Minto Park in Lahore from 22 to 24 March 1940 for its yearly session. Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other founding figures spoke about the gulf between Hindus and Muslims. A. K. Fazlul Huq, often called Sher-e-Bangla, moved the resolution, which was put forward on 23 March and carried the next day with signatures from the movement's founders. Its wording asked that Muslim-majority areas, described as the north-western and eastern zones of India, be grouped into independent states whose parts would be autonomous and sovereign. The text itself never used the word Pakistan.

Constitution and republic

The British plan to divide the subcontinent into two dominions was announced on 3 June 1947. Pakistan came into being on 14 August that year, with India becoming independent a day later. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the country's founder, took office as the first Governor-General, and Liaquat Ali Khan became the first Prime Minister. Until 1956 the Government of India Act of 1935 supplied the legal framework. A Basic Principles Committee set out the shape of a constitution in 1949, and after years of debate and amendment the first constitution came into force on 23 March 1956.

The main ceremony

Islamabad, the capital, holds the chief event. The President attends as chief guest, joined by the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, the military chiefs of staff and the chairman of the joint chiefs. A joint inter-services parade is rehearsed and carried live by news outlets across the country, and it displays the armed forces' strength and equipment. Civilian and military marchers take part, and the President reviews them early in the day. Afterwards national awards and medals are presented at the Presidency. Wreaths are placed at the tombs of the poet Muhammad Iqbal and of Jinnah.

Parades farther afield

Pakistan's diplomatic missions in other countries also mark the date. In North America the biggest such gathering has been held in New York City for decades. New Jersey's first yearly procession began in 2015, in Edison and Woodbridge. At home the organised events are led mainly by government officials and army staff, while for everyone else the day is a public holiday. Rarely, and only when the occasion is thought important enough, foreign guests are invited to the parade.

How Pakistan Day is kept

The main events are in Islamabad. They begin with a parade reviewed by the President, who is the chief guest, in the presence of the Prime Minister, cabinet members and senior officers. Troops from all three services march and equipment is shown; the news media broadcast the parade live after rehearsals. Once it finishes, the President hands out national awards and medals at the Presidency. Wreaths are then laid at the mausoleums of Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistani embassies and high commissions hold their own observances the same day.

When and where

It is kept on 23 March each year, a fixed date that lasts a single day. The events begin early in the morning and run through the day, with the first observance dated to 1940 and the constitutional era beginning in 1956.

Pakistan Day belongs to Pakistan, where it is a national holiday, and its central ceremony is held in Islamabad. Lahore is closely linked to it as the city where the 1940 resolution was passed at Minto Park, near the Minar-e-Pakistan. Outside Pakistan, Pakistani diplomatic missions observe the date, and parades are held in New York City and in New Jersey.

What Pakistan Day means

The date carries two meanings for those who keep it: the demand made in 1940 for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent, and the moment in 1956 when the country became a republic with its own constitution. The wreaths at Iqbal's and Jinnah's tombs tie the official ceremony to the movement's founders, and the parade is presented as a sign of the state's strength.

Days Pakistan Day is marked

Pakistan Day dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

Questions people ask about Pakistan Day

See also

HalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageNowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsHanukkahAn eight-day Jewish festival marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a single day'HoliA spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.

Good reading and sources

• Pakistan holds first Republic Day parade in seven yearsDawn, Article
• Pakistan holds first Republic Day parade in seven yearsDawn, Article

• Pakistan Day on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.