Independence Ceremony Canceled

The officials have canceled the ceremony due to huge flood in Pakistan.

Officials canceled the colorful, fireworks-heavy ceremony normally held at midnight Aug. 14, the anniversary of Pakistan's creation and independence from Britain in 1947. But Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani participated in a flag-raising in the morning, and TV channels broadcast stories about the South Asian country's early years.

Government leaders were expected to spend much of the day visiting flood victims amid warnings that more surges may be on the way, threatening cities and towns along main rivers. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also is expected to visit sometime soon, possibly over the weekend.

The floods have disrupted the lives of 14 million people - 8 per cent of the population. Triggered by unusually heavy monsoon rains, the floods have torn through the country from its mountainous northwest, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and an estimated 1.7 million acres (nearly 700,000 hectares) of farmland.

In southern Pakistan, the River Indus is now more than 15 miles (25 kilometers) wide at some points - 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons.

Many flood victims are living in muddy camps or overcrowded government buildings, while thousands more are sleeping in the open next to their cows, goats and whatever possessions they managed to drag with them. Late Friday, officials ordered the evacuation of all people left in the major city of Jacobabad in southern Sindh province.

The UN has appealed for $460 million to help Pakistan get immediate relief, but officials have said the country will need billions to rebuild after the waters recede.

I think we must help our people in this critical situation...........i appeal to you all.