RAWALPINDI: The citizens are all set to celebrate the 75th Independence Day on Sunday with great enthusiasm and national zeal.

Rawalpindi District Administration, District Police, City Traffic Police (CTP), Punjab Emergency Service, Rescue-1122 and Civil Defence have finalized all the arrangements as the region is all set to celebrate Independence Day in befitting manner on August 14, Sunday.

With the start of August, Jashan-e-Azadi preparations were started here in every nook and corner of the city to celebrate Independence Day with great enthusiasm and national fervour.

All the main buildings including Rawalpindi Railway Station, Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Board offices, Askari Plaza, Mall Road, Metro Track, Murree Road, RDA, WASA and PHA buildings, National Bank Saddar Main Branch, Bank Road, Mall Road and several other areas were decorated to mark the Independence Day.

The buildings were being illuminated and a number of colourful activities have also been planned to mark this occasion with great enthusiasm.

Different public and private departments would hold special functions and activities including seminars, discussion programmes, photographic exhibitions, painting, poetry, national songs and debate competitions with the focus on acknowledging the contribution of leaders of Pakistan movement and sacrifices of national heroes.

The printers and makers of buntings, flags, banners and badges were fully engaged in their business.

Jashan-e-Azadi preparations reached at its peak on Saturday as the citizens were getting ready to celebrate the Independence Day with zeal and zest.

Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) arranged artisans exhibition, photographic exhibitions and other activities to mark Independence Day.

According to roadside vendors, the most enthusiastic are the children who are busy in collecting badges and also beautifying their bicycles with special stickers inscribed with messages of Independence Day.

A vendor, Arif near Shamsabad park while talking to APP said the demand for the national flag and badges was on the rise after Aug 10, adding that most of the motorists were buying flags to hoist on their vehicles.

Another seller in Sadiqabad area namely Mushtaq said that like every year, this year too the vendors at their stalls on footpaths were doing a roaring business and trying to sell whatever they had as the entire inventory would go waste on August 15.

The shopkeepers and footpath vendors had set up their temporary stalls in almost all areas of the town with the start of August where people were seen busy in buying things at cheaper rates.

A large number of stalls with buntings, flags, badges and other items were established in several city markets including Tench Bhatta, Lalkurti, Saddar, Moti, Raja and Urdu Bazaars, Benazir Bhutto Road, Bunni Market, Satellite Town, Sadiqabad and other areas of the city. Nowadays, national songs are in the air which gives the message that whole the nation is united.

According to a Rawalpindi district police spokesman, police had finalized all the arrangements to beef up security on Jashan-e-Azadi while over 1800 cops were deployed under the security plan devised for Independence Day.

They were being supported by members of the Elite Force, Women Police officers and officials from the special branch.

Special temporary pickets were also set up for snap checking and for cordoning off sensitive areas.

Police officers were also deputed on parks and entertainment spots in the city. There were enhanced patrolling from police officers, members of the elite force, Muhafiz Squads and Dolphin Force.

The City Police Officer, Syed Nadeem Shehzad Bukhari has urged the public not to indulge in any illegal activities on Independence Day such as aerial firing, one-wheeling and rash driving.

As many as 600 police personnel were performing security duties in Murree.

The police spokesperson said Elite Force, Muhafiz Force and Dolphin Force were patrolling the roads and streets while traffic officials were regulating traffic round the clock.

The authorities concerned on the directives of Inspector General of Police, Punjab Faisal Shahkar had beefed up security in Rawalpindi city and Murree.

The Police personnel had been directed to launch a crackdown against traffic disruptors in the form of one-wheelers.

The Rawalpindi police, under their security plan, had decided to deploy enhance number of cops in the district on August 13 and 14, he said and informed that special security arrangements were also made for Murree which is expected to be thronged by thousands of visitors from across the country particularly Punjab and KPK on Independence Day.

600 cops besides 270 traffic wardens and CTP officers were performing security and traffic duties in Murree, he added.

CTO, Rawalpindi Naveed Irshad had also reached Murree to monitor the traffic arrangements finalized for Independence Day.

SP Kohsar Haider Ali was supervising overall security arrangements in Murree.

150 tourism police personnel were also performing duties in Murree to facilitate the tourists.

CTP had launched a crackdown on those involved in one-wheeling, racing, car drifting, and performing dangerous stunts on the roads.

Those driving without a silencer on Independence Day would also be subject to police action, he added.

The officials have warned that anyone caught involved in one-wheeling stunts on the roads would be apprehended, booked and sent to jail.

The CTO asked the parents to show responsibility towards their children on Independence Day and keep a vigilant eye on them, especially on the nights between August 13 and 14.

He urged them not to allow their children to leave their homes without any reason so that the children do not partake in any unlawful activities.

Rescue-1122 Rawalpindi has also finalized all the arrangements for Independence Day besides issuing a special emergency cover rescue plan.

District Emergency Officer, Rescue-1122 Rawalpindi Eng. Kamran Rashid informed that the Rescuers had been deployed with emergency ambulances, fire vehicles, rescue and recovery vehicles, water bowzers and motorbike ambulances.

He said that special rescue posts had also been set up at all the parks and other important places including Faizabad, Commercial Market, Jinnah Park, Committee Chowk, GPO Chowk Saddar, Giga Mall, Ayub Park and other places.

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