Muzaffarabad: A dignified flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day. Senior judges, lawyers, judicial officials and students attended the event.
The ceremony was attended by AJK Supreme Court Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan, Senior Judge Justice Raza Ali Khan, Justice Khalid Yousuf, High Court Chief Justice Sardar Liaqat Hussain, other High Court judges, former Supreme Court judge Khawaja Muhammad Naseem, heads of various tribunals, judicial officials, the advocate general, representatives of the Bar Council and bar associations, law officers and a large number of lawyers. Students from Government Girls High School Lower Chattar also participated.
A smartly turned-out contingent of the AJK Police presented a salute to the national flag as the venue echoed with chants of “Pakistan Zindabad.” Students from different schools performed national songs, while the national anthems of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir were also played.
Addressing the ceremony, Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan congratulated Pakistanis and Kashmiris on Independence Day. He said the nation had attained freedom because of the everlasting sacrifices of its martyrs and veterans, while a strong, nuclear-armed Pakistan served as a great fortress protecting that freedom.
He paid tribute to the personnel of Pakistan’s armed forces guarding the country’s borders and said the nation’s shared objective was the completion of Pakistan.
The chief justice said Pakistan had earned global recognition after defeating India on May 10, 2025. He added that the nation had held its head high since Marka-e-Haq, while Pakistan’s military and political leadership had played crucial roles on the defence and diplomatic fronts.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had an enduring love for Pakistan, and their elders had always declared: “We are Pakistanis, and Pakistan belongs to us.”
The chief justice said the ancestors of Kashmiris had made unparalleled sacrifices for the movement to complete Pakistan, and it was the responsibility of the present generation to carry their struggle forward.
He said Kashmiris had resisted Indian aggression for the past 79 years and served as Pakistan’s first line of defence alongside its armed forces. Kashmir and Pakistan were one, he said, adding that Kashmiris would continue to stand like an impregnable wall against India’s designs.
The chief justice assured the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan and Azad Kashmir would continue supporting their struggle for the fundamental right to freedom until they achieved liberation.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, an Independence Day cake was cut. Special prayers were offered for Pakistan’s security, prosperity, stability and survival, as well as the liberation of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
