Pakistan military holds first Republic Day
parade in seven years
(Reuters) - Pakistan held its first Republic
Day parade in seven years on Monday, full of flag-waving pomp and aerial
military expertise, a symbolic show of strength in the war against the Taliban
months after a militant attack on a school killed 132 children.
The
Pakistan Day parade, complete with a 31-gun dawn salute, was held amid tight
security. Cellular phone networks were blocked as a precaution to thwart
militants, who have often used mobile phone signals to trigger bombs.
No
parades had been held since 2008, following an escalation in the military's
conflict with the Pakistani Taliban.
But
the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half its history, says the
militants have been on the run since the army launched an operation last year
to dislodge insurgents from the northwestern regions of Khyber and North
Waziristan, on the border with Afghanistan.
Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif, who attended the parade, issued a statement warning of
the threat from anti-state elements.
"Pakistan
is resolved to redeem its pledge given to its founding fathers that it will
protect the homeland," Sharif said.
Military
jets looped the loop over the picturesque, low-rise city in the spring
sunshine, with a sky-diving team showing off its skills against the backdrop of
the Margalla Hills, the forested foothills of the Himalayas.
The
show of military might has traditionally also sent a message to rival India.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars since their
independence from Britain in 1947 and continuing mistrust is a factor behind
conflict in various parts of the region, including Afghanistan.
Relations
between the two nosedived after deadly attacks on Mumbai in 2008, which India
has always blamed on Pakistan-based militants, and have not fully recovered. A
dispute over Kashmir periodically flares into violence.
"I
have written to Pakistan PM Mr. Nawaz Sharif, conveying my greetings,"
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a Tweet. "...It is my firm
conviction that all outstanding issues can be resolved through bilateral
dialogue in an atmosphere free from terror and violence."
Pakistani troops have boasted recent successes
against the Taliban, who aim to establish strict Islamic rule.
The country is still in mourning after December's
attack on the army-run high school in the northwestern city of Peshawar. Six
gunmen believed linked to the Taliban killed 153 people, 132 of them children.
Pakistan Day commemorates March 23, 1940, when the
Muslim League demanded the establishment of separate nations to protect Muslims
in the then British colony of India.
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