Pakistan Independence Day: Country celebrates 77 years since it was formed

Nation was created in August 1947 out of north-western and eastern parts of British-ruled Indian subcontinent

National flags and decorations for sale ahead of Pakistan's Independence Day in Peshawar on Tuesday. EPA

Pakistan is celebrated its Independence Day on Wednesday, 77 years after British colonialists partitioned the Indian subcontinent following two centuries of rule.

The separate nations of India and Pakistan were created in August 1947.

Although the Indian Independence Act designated August 15 as the day of independence for both nations, power was transferred a day before to Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British India.

Mr Jinnah, a barrister who was born in the British-Indian city of Karachi, was head of the All-India Muslim League before the partition.

He led the growing demands during the 1940s for a separate homeland for the Muslim minority of South Asia as violence between Muslims and Hindus increased.

Pakistan was created out of north-western and eastern parts the British-ruled Indian subcontinent, while the rest became modern-day India.

Both the nations were granted dominion status as step towards obtaining full independence.

The eastern part of Pakistan became Bangladesh after independence from Islamabad in 1971.

What happened on August 14, 1947?

The division in 1947, known as the Partition, was followed by widespread violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs as millions migrated between the newly created states according to their religion.

Zia Ul Haq, a captain in the Indian army, helped escort refugees from India during the period of intense inter-communal violence.

Taking the last refugees from Babina in Uttar Pradesh would prove a formative experience for the young captain, who would rule Pakistan between 1978 and 1988.

It's thought that about 10 million Muslims fled India during this time, while a similar number of Hindus were displaced and fled to India. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps up to two million people, died in the violence.

For Mr Jinnah, however, the unrest would ultimately lead to something positive: the birth of a homeland for Muslims in the region.

“August 14 is the birthday of the independent and sovereign state of Pakistan,” he said of the country's founding.

“It marks the fulfilment of the destiny of the Muslim nation which made great sacrifices in the past few years to have its homeland.”

In a speech during the handover of power to the newly sovereign Pakistan, Mr Jinnah said he hoped the country – envisioned as a parliamentary democracy by its first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan – would be a place of “no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another”.

“We are all citizens and equal citizens of one state,” he said.

Despite Pakistan's origins as a homeland for Muslims, Mr Jinnah insisted that the new country would guarantee religious freedom for all.

People “may belong to any religion, or caste, or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the state”, he said an address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in August 1947.

Pakistan's national flag on the eve of the country’s Independence Day, in Karachi. AFP

How is Independence Day celebrated?

Jinnah died the following year, but his legacy remains a central theme of Independence Day celebrations.

The main celebration takes place in the capital Islamabad, where the national flag is raised at the presidential and parliament buildings and the country’s leadership makes televised speeches to the nation. Similar flag-raising ceremonies are also held across the country.

Special prayers and a 31-gun salute in the capital and a 21-gun salute in all provincial capitals also take place.

Cultural songs, parades, flag-raising ceremonies and fireworks are seen across Pakistan on the day.

Streets, roads and major buildings are illuminated and adorned with flags and decorations.