THE Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday condemned what it said was the “reprehensible disrespect” of Pakistan’s national anthem by an Afghan official during a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government event. The provincial government organized a function in connection with Eid Milad-un-Nabi which was attended by a large number of elected public representatives, government officials, political and social figures and scholars of all schools of thought. Afghan officials, including Afghan Acting Consul General, Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir, were also in attendance. According to footage broadcast by media outlets, the Afghan officials reportedly remained seated during the national anthem.
It is a universal practice to stand when the national anthem is performed and, therefore, the behaviour of the Afghan officials cannot be considered an unintended lapse. Respect for national anthem and national flag and those of others is inculcated even among children and is also considered as part of the diplomatic norms. The Foreign Office has rightly condemned the behaviour of the Afghan officials, which is in line with the overall derogatory and venomous policy of the Taliban regime against Pakistan. The incident has sent a clear message to the people of Pakistan about intentions and designs of Taliban vis-à-vis Pakistan – a country which incurred losses both in terms of human and material for its consistent support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, first during Soviet occupation of the country and then again when it was occupied by coalition forces led by the United States. Pakistan not only fought a long diplomatic war to safeguard interests of the brotherly country but also provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees for decades. It was also because of the sincere effort and support of Pakistan that the Doha agreement was signed, which paved the way for withdrawal of foreign occupation forces from Afghanistan and emergence of the Taliban Government. Pakistan legitimately expected that relations with Afghanistan will strengthen tremendously with the Taliban in total control of the country but instead the regime has become a part of the conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan. Apart from terrorist attacks sponsored by Afghanistan-based TTP elements, Afghan forces have also been frequently attacking Pakistani security personnel. As disrespect of the national anthem was surely deliberate, it is not enough to confine ourselves to lodging protest with Kabul. Afghan officials present in the event, must be declared persona non grata and expelled from the country.
