Pakistan celebrated its 79th Independence Day on Friday with gun salutes, flag-raising ceremonies and messages from senior leaders stressing national unity and reform, while security concerns shadowed festivities in Karachi. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both paid tribute to the country's founding generation and referenced last year's brief military confrontation with India — dubbed 'Marka-i-Haq' — as evidence of Pakistan's resolve to defend its sovereignty while pursuing regional peace. Dampening the celebrations, at least 86 people, including 17 children and 10 women, were injured by celebratory aerial gunfire across Karachi (Pakistan's largest city and main port) on the eve of the holiday, with victims taken to multiple hospitals and police arresting at least 13 suspects; such incidents occur routinely despite official bans, and last year's Independence Day gunfire killed three people in the same city.