ISLAMABAD: Like other parts of the world, Father’s Day was celebrated in Pakistan on Sunday to remember the unforgettable role of fathers played in the lives of their children.
Father’s Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society. In his message, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it was a day to commemorate the compassion and resilience of every father nationwide.
“I hope we can all come together on this important occasion to appreciate their virtues,” he said, and wished to commemorate all fathers and the sacrifices they have made “to make us, and our newer generations, who we are today”. In 1966, US President Lyndon B Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers and designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.
It was made into law six years later by Richard Nixon, another American president. The day is celebrated by people expressing their love and respect for their fathers, and by giving gifts to appreciate the efforts and sacrifices their father undertakes for their upbringing and well-being.
It may be mentioned here that Father’s Day first originated in United States in 1910. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, by a Sonora Smart Dodd, at YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), who after hearing a sermon on Mother’s Day asked pastor for a similar holiday for fathers because she had been raised by a single father of six children.
She originally suggested the day to be celebrated on her father’s birthday but the pastors needed time for preparation of sermons so 3rd Sunday of June was declared as the Father’s Day.
