Speaking on the occasion of his birthday on the 16th of December in 2016, Mawlana Hazar Imam expressed, “My wish for the decades ahead is that you stand firmly by the principles and ethics of our faith. Wherever you are, whatever age you are, whatever you do in your lives, it is essentially important to me that the principles of our faith should be respected every day of your lives.” Following the guidance of Mawlana Hazar Imam, the Jamat in Pakistan celebrated the birthday highlighting the importance of living by the ethics and principles of the Ismaili faith.

In the region of Gilgit, the Jamat gathered the amount allocated for celebrations and duly donated the funds to the Central Fund-Raising Committee (CFRC) to invest in a better future for the Jamat in Pakistan. While in the region of Hunza, despite snowfall and zero-degree temperature, the flag-hoisting ceremony was held after morning prayers followed by band rallies. The Jamat also prepared birthday cards with best wishes for Mawlana Hazar Imam.

In the Central region, a mehndi programme was held which was attended by a large number of female members of the community. The Southern region, the Jamat, particularly senior citizens, were encouraged and performed on cultural songs. Depicting the diversity and unity in the Jamat, children in the Gupis-Yasin region participated in theatre plays on the special occasion while in the Ishkoman Puniyal region, cleanliness drives were organised by the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides to highlight the civic responsibility of the Jamat. In the region of Chitral, cake cutting ceremonies, march-past and band performances were held in celebration of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s birthday, which were also performed throughout the country.