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Like every year, Pakistan’s celebrities fully embraced the country’s patriotic spirit on Independence Day, with many choosing to dress up, hoist flags and spend the holiday with their families.

Sarwat Gilani posted a video of her husband and kids putting up flags and listening to Vital Signs’ ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ — arguably the primary anthem for all Independence Day celebrations.

Her message for the holiday hoped that the countless sacrifices people had given for the sake of the country would not go in vain and the people of Pakistan would honour them by building a country where “children feel safe”, “education is a right”, “women are respected” and where “honesty, kindness, tolerance and justice are stronger than hatred and fear”.

Aiman Khan was also feeling the joy of freedom as she posted a video of herself singing along to ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ on her Instagram account.

Shehzad Roy upped the ante musically with a video of girls from a school run by his Zindagi Trust performing a heartwarming rendition of Mehdi Hassan’s classic ‘Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai’.

Faran Tahir, celebrating Independence Day at home for the first time in 45 years, said he was doing so with “gratitude, pride and hope for all that Pakistan can become”.

Nadia Jamil posted a clip of Independence Day fireworks and said the country was really its people. She hoped those people would work to make a “safe haven” where its children thrive and its people and animals feel safe.

Adnan Siddiqui took a moment to remember the people taking part in Pakistan’s founding 79 years ago who had little apart from their “extraordinary conviction”.

“They built something that could outlast them. It’s on us now to protect it, honour it and evolve it,” he wrote.

Malala Yousafzai’s Independence Day wishes for Pakistan came with an appeal to invest in education. She said her recent interactions with the country’s youth made her excited and hopeful for the future.

Ahsan Khan said Independence Day wasn’t just about raising flags and slogans, it was an opportunity for every Pakistani to look inwards and ask what they had done for their country.

“The most beautiful expression of patriotism is that, wherever we may be, we increase Pakistan’s respect in the world with our successes and our actions,” he wrote.

Celebrations were somewhat tempered this year after the country saw a number of horrific incidents of abuse against women and children in recent months, leading to many being mindful of that in their Independence Day messages.

Merub Ali asked the all important question whether we truly were free when “women are scared to exist freely in their own country” and somehow everyone had accepted that reality as “normal”.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love Pakistan. I love being Pakistani. This is my home… I owe so much of who I am today to this country and maybe that’s exactly why it hurts so much to watch what we’ve allowed it to become,” Ali said.

“I’m incredibly proud to be Pakistani. I’m just heartbroken to be a Pakistani at a time where all of this has started feeling normal.”

Zara Noor Abbas answered that question, saying we weren’t really free and today was actually about acknowledging the sacrifices of our forefathers and the hopes and dreams of the country’s children.

Zhalay Sarhadi sang a soulful version of Nayyara Noor’s ‘Sohni Dharti’ with a note attached saying her “heart is heavy” this year. She prayed for justice, education, tolerance and the protection of the rights of women, children and animals in her country.

Iqra Aziz’s Independence Day wish came with news of death and injuries in Karachi as a result of celebratory gunfire.

Two people were killed in the metropolis and 94 were injured; the practice continues to be a regular occurrence despite a ban being in place.

As the holiday continues, let us know how you’re celebrating and what you think Pakistanis should do for their country as we mark 79 years of independence. Happy Independence Day.