"This is the first time in 13 years that so many people have attended the Independence Day event," Jandial said.
The high turnout came despite a call by Kashmiri separatist groups for a strike yesterday in Srinagar, to protest what they call India's domination over the disputed province divided between India and Pakistan.
More than a dozen separatist guerrilla groups have been fighting Indian security forces since 1989, seeking independence for Kashmir or its merger with neighboring Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming and funding the guerrillas, a charge Islamabad denies.
More than 63,000 people have been killed in mountainous province claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan.
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