Daily Times

LAHORE: We all celebrated the Independence Day with full zeal and zest, waving the green flag with pride and chanting slogans at the top of our voice for the success and prosperity of our beloved Pakistan. But let us not lose all that passion as quickly as we got it.

I am quite sure that most of us would still have those flags and buntings still displayed on our roofs and walls. This is where my heart gets broken when I see that once August 14 passes, we become completely oblivious to the respect and grace that those flags still demand of us.

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine Quaid Ahmed Khan shared some points and I thought to share those with my fellow countrymen too, so we prove ourselves to be a patriotic nation and continue to respect the flag protocol as it deserves to be.

1. No other flag must fly higher. Some of us have other affiliations and we tend to put the respective flags to show our support. But before being anything else, we are all Pakistanis and that should show when we erect that beautiful flag on our cars and rooftops too.

2. When the flag is tied to a mast, it must be tied only at the left (at the beginning of the white bar) and left to fly freely without any obstruction.

3. The flag must not touch the ground, shoes or feet or anything unclean and must never be flown in darkness or in rain. It is a very common sight to come across, August is a rainy month and it is quite possible that nature rewards us with rain while we are celebrating our independence as a nation. We must be careful that if there is rain, our flag is covered and the buntings don’t soak and fall on the ground or on roads to be covered in mud.

4. The Pakistani flag be raised at dawn and lowered at dusk. This demands dedication, but isn’t that what patriotism all about? The flag must be taken down before the night falls and raised up again when the sun rises.

5. When we display the buntings horizontally, we must ensure that the white strip must always be at the left, with green field on the right

6. Sometimes the windy weather makes cause the flag to become torn. As beautiful as it looks flowing gracefully, we must make sure to take it down if it starts tearing up.

We have a great flag and it demands great respect. Let’s continue to keep the passion of love for our country burning in our hearts and give our flag the treatment it so truly deserves. Long Live Pakistan!