The federal government faced backlash in the Senate on Friday after official Independence Day advertisements excluded the image of Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Instead, the ads prominently featured President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Army Chief General Asim Munir.
The omission sparked sharp criticism from opposition benches and fueled a wave of discontent on social media, where users accused the government of disregarding national icons. Many highlighted that while public funds were used for the ads, the images of Quaid-e-Azam and national poet Allama Iqbal were conspicuously absent.
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During the Senate session, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed displayed a portrait of Jinnah in protest, remarking:
“This advertisement was not funded by their money. It was paid for with taxpayers’ money, yet it does not include the image of the country’s founder. Not a single documentary was aired on August 14.”
Senator Ali Zafar also objected, noting that the traditional practice of sharing documents related to the August 14 resolution was ignored this year.
Responding to the criticism, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar assured lawmakers that the matter would be investigated.
“There will be an inquiry regarding the omission of Jinnah’s image, and the House will be informed,” he said. He added that the celebrations began at Jinnah Stadium and that the government considers itself a custodian of Quaid’s legacy. “I apologize if anyone was hurt. We are all followers of the founder. Pakistan is the gift he gave us.”
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The controversy quickly spread across social media platforms, with former federal minister Mushahid Hussain calling the move “ridiculous” and former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar remarking that “the thoughts of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal have as much space in today’s Pakistan as they do in these government advertisements.”
The debate has raised broader questions about the government’s approach to commemorating Independence Day, with critics accusing officials of prioritizing political figures over the nation’s founding leaders.
