By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Consul General in Peshawar, Mohibullah Shakir, sparked a diplomatic controversy by remaining seated during Pakistan’s national anthem at a conference on Tuesday, prompting Islamabad to lodge a strong protest.
The incident occurred at the Rehmat-ul-Alameen Conference, hosted by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Videos widely circulated on social media showed Shakir and another Afghan official seated while others stood as the Pakistani national anthem was played.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office swiftly condemned the act as “reprehensible” and contrary to diplomatic norms.
“The disrespect of host country’s national anthem is against diplomatic norms,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.
“This act by the Acting Consul General of Afghanistan is reprehensible. We are conveying our strong protest to the Afghan authorities in both Islamabad and Kabul.”
Shahid Ullah, spokesperson for the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar, clarified that Shakir did not intend to disrespect Pakistan.
“There was no intention to disrespect or dishonor the Pakistani national anthem,” Shahid Ullah said. “The Consul General did not stand during the anthem because of the music in it.”
The spokesman explained that Afghanistan had banned its own national anthem due to the presence of music, citing Islamic principles.
“If the anthem had been performed without music or by children, the Consul General would have definitely stood and placed his hand on his chest.”
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan deem music haram, or forbidden, under Islamic law, a stance disputed by various Islamic schools of thought.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated further following the latest incident, amid a deteriorating relationship marked by a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan accuses militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban of launching assaults on security forces from Afghan sanctuaries. Islamabad has repeatedly alleged that the Afghan Taliban government is harboring anti-Pakistan insurgents, a claim Kabul vehemently denies.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
