The Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia on Monday celebrated Pakistan’s National Day in Riyadh and Jeddah.

In Riyadh, Pakistani Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq unfurled the national flag at a ceremony held in the embassy building. Haq shed light on the importance of March 23 and how Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was able to achieve this goal in a short span of seven years.

He further said that Pakistan is home to around 180 million people, a modern, moderate and democratic state. It has an active Parliament, independent judiciary, free media and a vibrant society.

Highlighting the economy of Pakistan, he said that it has shown an upward trend in the recent past. Economic growth has accelerated, per capita income has increased, foreign exchange reserves have doubled in the past year, inflation has dropped and the stock market has shown a positive trend.

In Jeddah, Pakistani consular officials attended the flag-hoisting ceremony at the residence of Pakistan Consul General Aftab Khokher.

Khokher read out messages from Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif. The leaders urged the nation to unite as Pakistan was established for the Muslims of the subcontinent as Quaid-e-Azam realized that it was the right of every Muslim of South Asia to enjoy freedom, equality and social justice.

In his message, Khokher said that Pakistani National Day should remind citizens of the commitment their forefathers made to make Pakistan a strong, prosperous and progressive country.

The students of Pakistan Azizia International School-Jeddah performed patriotic songs and Pakistani flute-master Mohammed Salman Adil played patriotic melodies. Mohammed Khan played dholki and Ustad Raees Ahmed played a solo on the violin.

In an evening performance, Akbar Khamiso Khan, Ustad Ajmal, Gulab Afridi and Khaled Mahmood performed as part of a cultural exchange to give the message of peace and harmony from Pakistan and the Pakistani people.