Pakistan Day Parade

1956 - 1970

The first Republic Day parade, as it was then called, was held on 23 March 1956 to mark the day when Pakistan became a republic on the same day. The parade was held in Karachi where newly appointed President of Pakistan Iskander Ali Mirza took salute. Simultaneously the parades were held in other major cities and military garrisons. Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army General Ayub Khan took salute in Rawalpindi. Local Governors or military commanders took salute in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Jhelum.

From 1957 to 1960, the central parade was held in Karachi. In 1961, the Republic Day was renamed to Pakistan Day and the parade was held in Dhaka for the first time.

In 1963, for the first and only time the central parade was held in Lahore, capital of West Pakistan. Nawab of Kalabagh took salute. At a similar event in Dhaka, Governor EP Abdul Munim Khan took salute. From 1964 onwards, the parade was held in Rawalpindi, until 1990 when it was moved to Islamabad.

In 1966, the parade had historic significance since it was held after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. Brig Zafar Ali Khan led 102 Brigade during the Chamb offensive and was awarded Hilal-i-Jurrat. All contingents were led by gallantry award winners.

The parade was cancelled in 1969 due to the political situation in the country.

1973 - 1989

The 1971 and 1972 parade were cancelled due to the political situation in the country. In 1973, the first Pakistan Day Parade after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War was held. Special Service Group (SSG) participated for the first time in the parade.

In 1976, parade commander Brig. Saadullah was recommended for the award of Nishan-i-Haider for showing valour during the 1971 war and was awarded Hilal-i-Jurrat. The new camouflage smock was worn by the entire parade.

In 1980, cultural and Industrial floats were included in the parade for the first time. Over two weeks prior to the parade, a conspiracy to assassinate President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq by Major General Tajammul Hussain Malik during the ceremony was foiled.

1990 - 2008

In 1990, Pakistan Day Parade was moved to Islamabad. In 1994, the parade was cancelled due to inclement weather. In 1997, the OIC Head of States attended the parade.

The 2002, 2003 and 2004 parades were cancelled due to regional situation, including the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the sudden spike in terrorism in Pakistan. In 2007, the parade was held at Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad.

In 2008, the parade was suspended for an extended period of time due to the growing terrorism in the country and fears that an attack on the parade was imminent.

2015 - Present

After a 7-year break, the Pakistan Day Parade was reconstituted in 2015 on the 75th anniversary of the Pakistan Resolution. This decision was made in part to the anniversary's significance as well as the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb by the Pakistan Army. As a precaution however, phone networks were blocked to thwart militants mobile cellular signals that could trigger bombs. In 2015, the parade venue shifted to Shakarparian Parade Ground in Islamabad, where the Pakistan Day Parades take place to this day.

The parade was held annually without gap from 2015 to 2019 until it was cancelled in 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Pakistan, with the cancellation being an attempt to mitigate the fall out from the pandemic. The 2021 parade was postponed due to "inclement weather and rain" and was rescheduled to March 25.

In 2022, an historic parade was held which was attended by OIC Foreign Ministers. Many foreign contingents of countries such as Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey and Uzbekistan also took part in the parade.

In early March 2023, it was announced that the 2023 Pakistan Day Parade will be held in a limited scale at Aiwan-e-Sadar due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country. The parade was then postponed to March 25 due to "inclement weather", but it was cancelled the next day.

In 2024, a full-scale parade was held which also featured contingents of the Azerbaijani and Chinese militaries. In 2025, the parade was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad. Due to Ramadan, the parade was held on a limited scale.

The 2026 parade was cancelled on March 17 due to the ongoing Gulf oil crisis caused by the 2026 Iran War and the austerity measures announced by the Government of Pakistan. On May 7, DG ISPR announced that a large-scale military parade will take place on August 14, 2026.