The 61st anniversary of Pakistan’s independence will be marked in Bradford tomorrow with a renewed pledge to make the country prosperous and strong.

The day will begin with special prayers at dawn for the integrity and solidarity of the country and unity of Ummah, the global Muslim community.

A flag-hoisting ceremony will be held at the Pakistani consulate in Bradford at 10am.

Tariq Iqbal Somoroo, the Consul General, will read a special message, and a large number of people from Bradford and surrounding areas will attend the ceremony.

The main ceremony will be held under the umbrella of The Pakistan Society of West Yorkshire at Bradfords’s Hilton hotel at 7pm, when society president Rashid Awan will unfurl the national flag. Later, he will deliver his message to the Pakistani community for the day. Schoolchildren will sing national songs and the national anthem will be played.

The event will be attended by around 600 people from all walks of life. Similar ceremonies will be held in other parts of Bradford, as well as at the Pakistani High Commission in London.

Social, cultural, religious, political and other organisations are marking the day and paying homage to national heroes and martyrs of the freedom movement.