The advertisement featured pictures of military leadership as well as of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.

The advertisement has been criticised by various political circles on social media.

Former senator Mushahid Hussain Syed posted a picture of the advertisement on X, on which he wrote, “What a shame!” The official advertisement of the government on Independence Day does not include any picture of the founder of Pakistan and the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but only pictures of people holding temporary positions. These are people whose high positions are due to the struggle and sacrifice of the Quaid-e-Azam!

Former federal minister Shireen Mazari also criticised the advertisement, writing that the absence of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the official advertisement is a clear omission.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also posted a picture of the advertisement on its official X account and said it was a shameful journey from minus Imran Khan mentality to minus Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

The PTI further wrote that the absence of “Quaid’s picture is not a mistake, it is a well-thought-out conspiracy”.

From August 1 to August 14, various government leaders appeared on advertisement billboards across the country, but without the images of the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

And now today, the official advertisement from the Ministry of Information also excludes both national heroes, it added.

It’s worth noting that a similar controversy arose earlier on May 28 (Youm-e-Takbeer) when official advertisements commemorating Pakistan’s nuclear tests did not include images of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.