Full dress rehearsals held across Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], Aug 13 (ANI): Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, full dress rehearsals were held in every district of Jammu and Kashmir even as restrictions continue to be in place in most parts of the Valley in wake of the abolition of its special status and bifurcation.
Contingents of Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, J-K Armed Police, Indian Reserve Police, Women police, Executive police, State Disaster Response Force and emergency services took part in the rehearsals.
The upcoming Independence Day is significant in nature given the fact that it will the first time that any national festival will be celebrated under one flag i.e. tricolour.
Before the abolition of Article 370 on August 5, Jammu and Kashmir used to have two flags -- one of the state and second of the nation.
In Srinagar, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan unfurled the tricolour and inspected the parade and took the salute at the March past at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium.
Department of Academy of Art Culture and Languages, Police, CRPF and BSF presented colourful cultural events in Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri, Ladakhi and Punjabi languages on the occasion here.
In Budgam, the rehearsal was held at Sports Stadium in presence of senior police officials. Budgam's Additional Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani unfurled the national flag, inspected the parade and took the salute at the March-past presented by the personnel of the police, armed police, CRPF and Home Guards.
In Kulgam, Additional District Development Commissioner Riyaz Ahmad Sofi unfurled the national flag and took the salute at the March past at District Police Lines.
In Udhampur district, the rehearsal was held in the premises of Boys' Government Degree College with the unfurling of tricolour by Additional District Development Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma. Thiry-eight contingents from CRPF, Police, NCC, Home Guards including others participated in the march past.
During these programmes, participants looked very excited to celebrate the 73rd Independence Day under a single flag. "This is the first time we are going to celebrate the Independence day under one flag which is our pride," a participant told ANI in Udhampur.
He said that the bifurcation of the state was the beginning of a "new era of development" of Jammu and Kashmir.
The government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 and bifurcated it into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on August 5. (ANI)