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![[Pakistan]](../images/p/pk.gif)
by
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
Flag adopted 14 August 1947, coat of arms adopted 23 March 1956.
See also:
The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah**, the founder of Pakistan. The national flag of Pakistan is dark green in colour with a white bar, a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed star. The significance of the colour and symbols used in the Pakistan Flag is as follows:
The white and dark green field represents minorities & Muslim majority, respectively.
The crescent on the flag represents progress.
The five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.
From http://www.pak.gov.pk/Flag.aspx, collected by Ivan Sache, 21 October 2008
Flag display in Pakistan easily exceeds that of the US. Pakistani's are very proud of the flag and display it everywhere. I was amazed at how many Pakistani flags I saw flying from private homes, even out in the country side.
Even though there are specific proportions for all the parts on Pakistan's
flag, said specifications were seldom followed on any flag I saw with the
exception of some printed flags I ran up upon.
Clay Moss, 4 July 2001
A note in Album des Pavillons (2000)
explains that this flag is not to be flown as a civil flag. The correction 1 to
Album des Pavillons (2000) has an entry for Pakistan, but from what I could see,
the only difference is more detailed construction information for the national
flag. I believe that both issues contain correct construction information,
though.
Željko Heimer, 8 September 2002
According to Vlaggen van de wereld, the flag of Pakistan is so important for
that country that it appears in the national anthem. Indeed,
http://www.yespakistan.com/people/anthem.asp shows the third verse of the
anthem to start with, in English: "This Flag of the Crescent and Star, Leads the
way to progress and perfection."
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 23
December 2011
On a
Pakistan government webpage (now only available on
the Internet Archive) it is reported that the the Pakistan flag was designed by Ameer-ud-din Khidwai.
Collected by Dov Gutterman,
10 January 1999
The description of the flag is unchanged in a revised version of the page at http://www.pak.gov.pk/Flag.aspx but the name of the designer has been changed: "The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan."
The "Daily Times", 23 July 2008, quoting the Pakistan Press International
(PPI) agency, lists yet another designer of the national flag:
"The death
anniversary of Master Afzal Hussain, the man who designed the Pakistani flag,
should be commemorated at a national level, urged Master Afzal Hussain
Foundation Trust chairperson Qamar Sultana Monday. While addressing a press
conference at the Karachi Press Club, she said that Hussain designed the
national flag but the government had failed to recognize his services. [...] .
Master Afzal died on July 16, 1987."
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C07%5C22%5Cstory_22-7-2008_pg12_4
Ivan Sache, 21 October 2008
The Daily Times, Karachi - Friday, October 31, 2008, reported:
"Who made
Pakistan's first flag, Afzal or Altaf?" By Jamil Khan
KARACHI: Once again
the controversy of who stitched the first Pakistani flag was brought into the
light when Zahoorul Hassan, the son of Master Altaf Hussain, in a press
conference at Karachi Club on Thursday, claimed that is father and not his
uncle, Master Afzal Hussain, stitched the first Pakistani flag after the
announcement of Partition in June 1947. Master Afzal Hussain was formally
recognized by former premier Nawaz Sharif, as the person who stitched Pakistan's
first flag. Barrister Samin Khan accompanied Zahoor, who lives in Hyderabad, at
the press conference. Zahoor stated that his cousins distorted the facts behind
the story and deliberately stated that their father had stitched the flag, thus
being awarded and recognized by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1996.
"I raised this issue many times in the past but no government after 1996 was
interested in giving the rightful status to Master Altaf Hussain's family," he
said. Zahoor brought his fathers belongings to the press conference, including
his father's All India Muslim League National Guards identity card and the
photograph taken by an American photographer of Master Altaf stitching
Pakistan's national flag in his New Delhi shop. Demanding that the present
government should conduct a fair inquiry on the matter, he said that it should
also give Master Altaf's family the appropriate status on a national level.
Earlier, Barrister Samin Khan narrated his own story of how he and Margaret
Bourke White, an American photographer working for Life magazine, witnessed
Altaf stitching the Pakistani flag at Master Altaf Hussain's New Delhi shop on
June 3 1947. "All India Muslim League Secretary General Nawabzada Liaquat Ali
Khan summoned me to accompany the American photographer who wanted to take
pictures of different parts of Delhi," said Barrister Samin adding that when
they reached Master Altaf Hussain's shop, White photographed Master Altaf
stitching the flag. "The pictures were published in the Life magazine's edition
printed on Aug 18 1947, this proves Zahoorul Hassan's claim," he said.
Saying
that Tehreek-e-Pakistan Karkunan gave a gold medal to Master Altaf Hussain who
died in 1967, he stated that the current government should do the same.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 31 October 2008
The Husain family does not give up. Quoting "The News", 3 August 2009:
"Zahoor-ul-Hasan,
the son of Master Altaf Husain, a resident of Hyderabad, has claimed that his
father Master Altaf Husain was the actual maker of the Pakistani flag at the
time of the creation of Pakistan and demanded that his father’s name be included
in the record of the movement of Pakistan. Speaking at a news conference on
Sunday, Zahoor-ul-Hasan said at the time when the new state of Pakistan was on
the anvil of creation, the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam, got the flag of
Pakistan designed by Amiruddin Kidwai. Zahoor said the Quaid brought the design
to his father Altaf Husain, who was running a tailoring shop in Delhi with the
name Husain Brothers.
The Quaid asked Altaf Husain to sew the new flag of
Pakistan, which he promptly did. Zahoor presented before the press a photo of
his father sewing the flag of Pakistan. The photo was also published on August
18 edition of the American weekly magazine LIFE."
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=191175.
Ivan Sache, 29
August 2009
I don't think this information states that Altaf Husain was the designer of
the flag. It rather seems to say, he made the first flag but based on the design
provided to him by Amiruddin Kidwai.
Elias Granqvist, 30 August 2009
There is an essay on Pakistani flag including its color:
https://takhleeq.substack.com/p/t003-designing-the-flag-of-pakistan
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags
and Anthems Manual London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag
designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for
their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm
version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the
official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC
believed the flag to be.
For Pakistan: PMS 343 green. The vertical flag is
simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012
There is no official source that gives exact colors of the national flag; these are all approximate colors from these documented sources.
The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone color: PMS 343C (green).
The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 4.) gives approximate
colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Green:
Pantone 342c, CMYK 100-0-70-40
Blue: Pantone 280c, CMYK 100-70-0-10
Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 0-90-80-5
Gold: Pantone 123c, CMYK 0-30-95-0
The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies
the colors of the flags in three color systems:
Blue: Pantone 280c, CMYK 100-89-27-8,
RGB 0-38-127
Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 10-100-74-2, RGB 210-16-52
Yellow: Pantone
123c, CMYK 0-24-88-0, RGB 255-199-38
Green: Pantone 342c, CMYK
89-32-74-24, RGB 0-106-78
Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone
system: PMS 330C (green), and PMS White.
Wikipedia illustrates the flag, and
construction details, and gives color values as follows.
Green: RGB 1-65-28,
Hex #01411c, CMYK
98-0-57-75
White: RGB 255-255-255, Hex #FFFFFF, CMYK 0-0-0-0
Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Green: Hex # 115740, RGB 17-87-64, CMYK 87-13-72-56, Pantone
343, RAL 6036
White: #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
The Pakistani flag is flown on the offices and official residences of VIPs
when they are home.
SIZE OF FLAGS:
i) For ceremonial occasions. 21' x 14', 18' x 12', 10' x 6-2/3' or 9' x 6 1/4.
ii) For use over buildings. 6' x 4' or 3' x 2'.
iii) For cars 12" x 8".
iv) For tables 6 1/4" x 4 1/4".
Occasions on which Pakistani flag is to be flown
i) Pakistan Day (23rd March)
ii) Independence Day (14th August)
iii) Quaid-e-Azim's Birthday (25th December)
iv) Such other days as may be notified by the Government from time to time.
Days when flags at half-mast
i) Death anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (21st April)
ii) Death anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam (11th September)
iii) Death anniversary of Liaquat Ali Khan (16th October)
iv) Any other day notified by the Government.
Flag to be flown on residences
The Pakistan Flag shall be flown on the official residences of the following
VIPs when they are home: -
1. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.
2. Chairman of the Senate and Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
3. Governors of the Provinces.
4. Federal Ministers and other dignitaries entitled to the privileges of the
Ministers of the Government of Pakistan.
5. Chief Ministers and Ministers of Provinces.
6. The Chief Election Commissioner.
7. Deputy Chairman of the Senate / Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of
Pakistan.
8. Speakers of the Provincial Assemblies.
9. Diplomatic Representatives of Pakistan in foreign countries.
10. Commissioners of Divisions, Deputy Commissioners and Political Agents.
Note: - The Pakistan Flag will be flown on the official residence of the
President / Prime Minister alongside his personal standard.
Flag to be flown on motorcars
The following persons shall be entitled to fly the Pakistan Flag on their
motor cars, vessels and aeroplanes, when the dignitaries themselves are seated:
-
1. The President of Pakistan.
2. The Prime Minister of Pakistan.
3. The Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan.
4. The Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
5. Chief Justice of Pakistan.
6. The Governors of the Provinces.
7. The Chief Ministers of the Provinces.
8. Chief Justices of the High Courts.
Note: - The President / Prime Minister may fly two flags i.e., his personal flag
in addition to the National Flag.
Located by Dov Gutterman, 8 August 2002
Source:
http://www.interior.gov.pk/pakistani_flag.htm
See also: Construction Sheet for Pakistani Flag
![[Coat of arms of Pakistan]](../images/p/pk).gif)
image
by Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
The Coat of Arms or State Emblem of Pakistan was adopted in 1954 and
symbolizes Pakistan's ideological foundation, the basis of its economy, its
cultural heritage and its guiding principles.
The four components of the
emblem are a crescent and star crest above an escutcheon, which is surrounded by
a wreath, below which is a scroll. The crest and the green colour of the emblem
are considered traditional symbols of Islam. The quartered shield in the centre
shows cotton, wheat, tea and jute, which were the major crops of Pakistan at
independence and are shown in a form of escutcheon and signify as the main
agricultural base for the importance of the Nation's economy. The floral wreath,
surrounding the shield, is Jasminum officinale (the national flower) and
represents the floral designs used in traditional Mughal art and emphasizes the
cultural heritage of Pakistan. The scroll supporting the shield contains the
national motto in Urdu, "Īmān, Ittiḥād, Naẓm", which reads from right to left:
(ایمان، اتحاد، نظم), translated as "Faith, Unity, Discipline" which are intended
as the guiding principles for Pakistan. This logo was designed by Maraj Muhammad
student of National College of Arts.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
