Why Pakistan celebrates its I-Day on Aug 14, Pakistan.
Bangalore, Aug 14:
The separate states of India and Pakistan were
created at midnight on August 15, 1947. Yet while India celebrates that
day as its independence day, Pakistan celebrates its independence day a
day before. Why it is so?
Reason 1:
Pakistan's first independence day was also celebrated on August 15 but
later on it was advanced to August 14.
One of the reasons is that
British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, who had chosen August 15 to
commemorate the surrender of Japan to the Allies Power marking the end
of World War II in 1945, sought to transfer power to Pakistan on August
14 so that he could be present in New Delhi to observe India's maiden
independence day celebrations.
Reason 2:
Also in 1948, Pakistan decided to celebrate its Independence Day on
August 14 because 27 Ramadan, an auspicious date of the Islamic lunar
calendar, coincided with it. Hence the Pakistanis decided to celebrate
their Independence Day a day before the actual date.
But otherwise, August 15 is the actual Independence Day for both India
and Pakistan (Even South Korea observes its Liberation Day on August
15). The Indian Independence Act of 1947 clearly said: "As from the
fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two
independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively
as India and Pakistan."
Even Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah had declared August
15 as the birthday of the independent and sovereign state of Pakistan.
The first commemorative postage stamps of Pakistan which were released
in July 1948 also mentioned 15 August 1947 as its Independence Day.
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