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ISLAMABAD: At least 60,000 participants are expected to attend a public celebration event marking Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day in Dubai today, Sunday, the UAE’s official news agency said. 

The event titled ‘Emirates Loves Pakistan’ will be held at the Dubai Exhibition Center in Expo City and will be attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of tolerance and coexistence, alongside Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, WAM reported. 

Diplomats, economic representatives and “notable social figures” from the Pakistani community in the country will also be at the event, which WAM said is being organized by ‘Emirates Loves Pakistan’ — a platform dedicated to sharing content that highlights the success stories and contributions of the Pakistani community in the UAE, in collaboration with the Pakistan Association in Dubai, with support from Dubai Police.

“The occasion will feature activities reflecting the cultural heritage, arts, and folklore of Pakistan, as well as acknowledging the historical relations and diplomatic ties between the two nations,” WAM said in a report on Saturday. 

“The event, expected to draw approximately 60,000 attendees, will include a ceremony to acknowledge distinguished members of the Pakistani community in the UAE, accompanied by cultural performances, artistic exhibitions, musical presentations, and traditional folklore activities,” it added.

The program will also include events to highlight Pakistan’s traditions, the contributions of the Pakistani community to the UAE’s sustainable development, and a recognition of their achievements, it added. 

The event will also include live performances by Pakistani singing powerhouses Sahir Ali Bagga, Sufi rock sensation Natasha Baig, and renowned storyteller Yousuf Bashir Qureshi.

Pakistan marks its Independence Day each year on August 14 to celebrate the day it secured independence from British rule in India. Pakistan embassies across the world hold special events marking the significance of independence while special programs are held across the country to mark the occasion. 

The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US, and is considered a critical market due to its geographic proximity and logistical advantages.

The Gulf state is also Pakistan’s second-largest source of foreign remittances, after ������Ƶ, with over 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates living and working there.

PESHAWAR: Tribal elders from Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram region on Saturday called for negotiations with Afghanistan and the opening of cross-border trade routes during a consultative gathering arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial administration to discuss the overall security situation in the region.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has launched a series of regional jirgas, or tribal councils, to deliberate on issues affecting the province, particularly its tribal districts, amid a surge of militant violence and counter-operations by security forces. The gatherings bring together tribal elders, local lawmakers and officials to find a way out of the current security situation in the area.

The last in the series brought together influential figures from Upper, Central and Lower Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan with a long history of violent conflicts that have claimed hundreds of lives. Last year alone, tribal clashes along sectarian lines in the district persisted for months, killing more than 100 people and displacing many more.

“For a permanent solution to the problem, a powerful council comprising federal and provincial governments, security agencies and local tribal elders should be formed to hold negotiations with Afghanistan, because Kurram’s peace is linked to Afghanistan,” the jirga said in its recommendations.

“Trade routes should be opened with Afghanistan to provide employment to the area’s residents,” it added.

Much of the country’s northwestern tribal belt has a narrow economic base, historically dependent on cross-border movement. Traditionally, residents of the areas crisscrossed between what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan, with tribal communities spread across both sides of the frontier.

Past efforts to launch livelihood projects in the area have also had limited impact.

Participants of Saturday’s jirga expressed appreciation for the provincial government’s efforts to restore stability in Kurram.

They said the residents of the district were united for peace and pledged to assist the government in any way necessary to maintain it.

“Peace is our basic need,” the jirga statement said. “If there is peace, there will be development.”

It added the people of Kurram opposed “all forms of terrorism” and stood by the government in efforts to counter it.

The gathering was also attended by provincial and national legislators from the district along with administrative and law enforcement officials.