“Google doodle” joins ranks of Pakistan Independence Day celebrations

Pakistan gets one of the 21st century’s ultimate anniversary markers: a customized homepage on the Google search engine for August 14 when it celebrates its independence from the British Empire on August 14, 1947. (Photo: screen-grab of Google homepage)

• August 14 doodle shows historic Khyber Pass of Peshawar, a mountain road once a glory of the British empire 
• Google has in the past dedicated doodles to legendary musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, philanthropist Edhi and others

ISLAMABAD: This year, aside from the swag of official events to mark 72 years of Pakistan’s inception, the country also got one of the 21st century’s ultimate anniversary markers: a customized homepage on the Google search engine.
Pakistan celebrates its independence day on August 14 each year to mark when Britain divided its Indian empire into Muslim Pakistan and mainly Hindu India in 1947.
The August 14 doodle shows the historic Khyber Pass of Peshawar, a tortuous mountain road that was once a glory of the British empire and remains a legend of high adventure.
This is not the first time that Google has featured a doodle for a Pakistani event or milestone. In the recent past, doodles have been dedicated to the birthdays of legendary musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, the king of the ghazal form Mehdi Hassan, and Pakistan’s most prominent and prolific artist, Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi.