Govt launches “Hurmat-e-Parcham” campaign after flag desecration incident in Germany

The federal government on Thursday launched "Hurmat-e-Parcham" campaign in response to the desecration of the national flag at the Pakistani consulate in Germany by several individuals believed to be Afghan nationals.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari, Abdul Aleem Khan, Rana Tanveer, and others, took to social media to post pictures of themselves with the national flag, accompanied by messages of patriotism and love.

Minister Attaullah Tarar also shared a picture on X with the caption, "A clear message to the enemies of Pakistan."

چاند ، روشن چمکتا ستارہ رہے
سب سے اونچا یہ جھنڈا ہمارا رہے

پاکستان کے دشمنوں کو واضح پیغام !
🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/DP4P7J8CqS

— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) July 23, 2024

The incident, which took place last week, involved several individuals, some draped in the Afghan tri-color flag, who rioted and threw stones outside the Pakistani consulate general in Frankfurt and took down the green and white flag.

Videos of the incident sparked outrage in Pakistan, leading the Foreign Office to condemn the act and call for accountability for those responsible for the riot and security breach.

The Pakistan mission confirmed that the incident occurred on July 20, when a group of "extremists" stormed the consulate and endangered the lives of the staff.

"Under the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations, 1963, it is the responsibility of the host government to protect the sanctity of the consular premises and ensure the security of diplomats," the Foreign Office stated.

Information Minister Atta Tarar announced in a press conference on Sunday that NADRA had been tasked with examining the video footage of the Frankfurt incident to determine if any Pakistani citizens were involved.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed his anger over the incident, criticising the behavior of the Afghan nationals and suggesting that Islamabad reconsider its generosity towards Afghan citizens.