ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Fireworks burst over at midnight as jubilant crowds poured into streets across the country to mark the 79th anniversary of independence, waving national flags and chanting 鈥淟ong Live Pakistan.鈥�
Women and children joined the late-night celebrations as roads and public spaces filled with people dressed in green and white. In Islamabad, crowds gathered along major roads as fireworks illuminated the night sky.
Pakistan , following the end of British colonial rule and the partition of the Indian subcontinent. Official celebrations were set to continue Friday with flag-raising ceremonies and other events.
This year鈥檚 celebrations included the inauguration in Islamabad of the 鈥淵adgar-e-Fatah,鈥� or Monument of Victory, commemorating what Pakistan calls the 鈥淏attle of Truth鈥� against India last year.
In a televised speech, said Pakistan wants peace, not war, but warned that its desire for peace should not be seen as weakness. He said threats to Pakistan鈥檚 sovereignty would draw a strong response, referring to a in May 2025.
The fighting erupted after gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants, an allegation Islamabad denied. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged missile, drone and other strikes before a ceasefire halted the fighting.
Sharif also criticized India for suspending a water sharing treaty after the conflict, the World Bank-brokered decades-old agreement governing the sharing of waters from the Indus River system.
鈥淓very drop of water is our red line,鈥� Sharif said, warning that Pakistan would respond if India threatened its water supplies.
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