LAHORE: With Pakistan Independence Day just three days away, the celebratory colour of 14 August has spread across Lahore’s roads, bazaars and commercial centres. Stalls stacked with national flags, badges, buntings and assorted Independence Day merchandise have appeared along the city’s main arteries and inside its busiest shopping districts, turning ordinary footpaths into ribbons of green and white. Families are turning out in large numbers, with children and adults alike crowding the roadside stands. Residents said they were buying in bulk to decorate homes, shops, offices and vehicles ahead of the national holiday. Civic authorities are expected to complete the illumination of Lahore’s historic buildings over the next two days, with the main city celebrations scheduled for the night of 13 August.