KABUL of liberty at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
A smartly turned-out MoD guard played the national anthem as part of the short ceremony.
The cabinet members and a number of other government officials also attended the ceremony.
August 19 commemorates the signing of the 1919 Treaty of Rawalpindi, which granted Afghanistan full independence from Britain under the kingship of Ghazi Amanullah Khan. The country was never part of the British Raj.
The Independence Day was celebrating with high zeal in the past, but the government shortened the celebration after a celebration of Mujahiddin’s victory came under attack in 2008.
Portraits of Ghazi Amanullah Khan, Ashraf Ghani, his predecessor Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Shah Baba, King Zahir Shah, Mirwais Nika, Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, Ahmad Shah Massoud and others had been displayed in different parts of the major cities.
Besides Kabul, the day was celebrated in other provinces of the country as well.
Mds/nh
