The Upside-Down Diplomacy

It is not once, but twice in India-Pakistan diplomatic meetings (call them peace talks) that Pakistan broke the protocol by showing the Indian flags upside down. And recently, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik tweeted about India’s initiative towards peace process with the tri-colour upside down again.

It happened for the first time in the year 2005 when the PIA airplane, on which the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf arrived in India for peace talks, had the Indian flag placed upside down.

Again in June, 2010, when the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram met Rehman Malik during the SAARC Home Ministers Conference in Islamabad, the flag was displayed upside down.

When Chidambaram noticed this, he informed the same to Rehman Malik and the minister immediately apologised for the mistake. The flag was placed rightly after that.
Though Chidambaram dismissed it as ‘minor issue’, it remains to be seen how minor it is since after Malik committed the mistake again after almost a month. India has taken a softer view of such grave mistakes committed by Pakistan and our neighbouring country, on the other hand, is making those mistakes again and again.

What does it imply when the national flag is upside down?

A clause under the flag protocol states-

When a national flag, with some exceptions, is flown upside down it indicates distress. This however is merely tradition. It is not a recognised distress signal according the International regulations for preventing collisions at sea. Further, a nation’s flag is commonly flown inverted as a sign of protest or contempt against the country concerned. As of now, only the Philippine Flag recognizes the distress symbolism of the reverse flag.

The above-mentioned clause clearly states that a national flag is commonly flown inverted as a sign of protest against the country concerned. Is that why the Indian flag is shown upside down? So should it mean that Pakistan is protesting?

But what is it that still worries Pakistan? India’s stance on building the trust deficit, bridging the gaps through dialogue and 26/11 has been very clear. India has shown the initiative and to this the internet savvy minister Rehman Malik has also agreed.

It is considered an offence if there are less than 24 spokes of Ashok Chakra in the Indian flag but would it be an offence if Pakistan places the Indian flag upside down, continuously?

Moreover, the clause also states that it is done as a sign of contempt. Can this be considered as a sign of contempt by Pakistan?

The national flag of any country is important for its people and if it is not respected and that too at the time of ‘confidence building measures’, then there sure are questions to be asked.

(Source: Yahoo India)