Srinagar: The union territory administration has asked residents of Jammu and Kashmir to hoist the national flag from their homes on the upcoming Independence Day, August 15, which will be celebrated across the country next month.In what seems to be an attempt to pack venues where the day will be celebrated in J&K, the administration has also directed government employees to participate in the celebrations. All educational institutions have also been asked to remain open.August 15 is a public holiday and all government offices, banks and educational institutions among other business establishments remain closed in the country.However, employees in J&K have been barred from skipping office “except under exceptional circumstances” and directed to change their profile picture on social media accounts to a selfie with an image of ‘Jhanda, Mitti and Diya’ (flag, soil and earthen lamp).The directions were issued in a meeting chaired by Jammu and Kashmir’s chief secretary A.K. Mehta in Srinagar on Wednesday, July 26, to review the arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations.“It shall however be ensured that the flag is hoisted in an appropriate and befitting manner having due regard to the flag code,” the record note of the meeting, accessed by The Wire, states while directing the top officers of the civil administration to ensure implementation of the directions.The main Independence Day function will held at Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar’s Sonawar locality and is likely to be attended by J&K’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.Other events planned by the UT administration, which is run directly by New Delhi, include lighting up all the government buildings and offices, including educational institutions and offices of local bodies and panchayats where the government officers have been asked to hoist the national flag.The educational institutions have also been directed to organise national anthem singing and essay, debate and sports competitions followed by prizes distribution ceremonies to mark the day.“Special Ceremonies, including hoisting of National Flag and installation of Shila Phalakam on Amrit Sarovars shall be held in all districts of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” the record note states.The administration has also restricted the themes for independence day speeches this year to the number of projects completed in the past year, ‘Digital J&K’, ‘Corruption free J&K’, ‘Swacchhta’ (cleanliness), ‘Nasha Mukht Bharat’ (Drug-Free India), Jan Bhagidari (Peoples Participation) and ‘Aap ki Zameen Aap ki Nigrani’ (Your land under your watch).Kashmiri separatist groups used to issue a shutdown call on Independence Day while urging people to mark it as a ‘Black Day’. The separatists’ call evoked a strong response in Kashmir, where markets and educational institutions used to shut down and traffic remained off the roads.Following the reading down of Article 370, the Independence Day celebrations have turned into a spectacle for showcasing ‘normalcy’ in Jammu and Kashmir, where political processes remain suspended and assembly elections have been due for more than five years.A similar order asking people to hoist the tricolour in their homes had prompted a major row last year, with Peoples Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti alleging that the residents of Jammu and Kashmir were threatened if they did not hoist the flag. Officials had denied this allegation.Among the buildings where the national flag was hoisted last year included the residences of slain and active militants of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. A photo of slain Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo next to the national flag at his south Kashmir residence had gone viral on social media.Last year, the Union government had launched the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence from colonial British rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also urged people to hoist the national flag at their homes.