Rawalpindi (DNA) The Independence Day celebrations at the Punjab Arts Council have been started with the Jashan-e-Azadi Fankar Rally here on Monday. Famous artists from Islamabad and Rawalpindi participated in the rally. Addressing the participants of the rally, Director Arts Council Waqar Ahmad said that there is no substitute for freedom in the world and only progress can be made in the world with liberation. He said that Pakistan would soon become a major economic power in the world as per the vision of the present government. Waqar Ahmad further said that we should be grateful to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama to whom we are celebrating independence today. He said that Allama Iqbal dreamed of an independent Islamic state in the subcontinent which was realized by Quaid-e-Azam in the shape of Pakistan. The rally started from Arts Council and ended at Murree Road. Participants of the rally held Pakistani flags in their hands and chanted slogans of “Long live Pakistan”.