The Afghan Consulate was represented at the conference by two representatives, as well as by Afghan Consul General Mohibullah Shakir, who was invited by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Two people (from the Afghan consulate) stayed in their seats throughout the ceremony on Tuesday even though Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, province ministers, and other attendees stood in respect to Pakistan’s national anthem. Two concertgoers stayed seated while everyone else stood in observance of the national anthem, as demonstrated in this widely shared social media video.
The Pakistani national anthem was intentionally desecrated because it contained music, despite its purposeful degradation. It would have been a flagrant breach of diplomatic etiquette had the Consul General stood up. Public opinion as well as the official Afghan Consul General vehemently disapproved of the decision. Senior journalist Talat Hussain stated that with the way the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and his associates behave, it appears as though nothing occurred during Afghanistan’s breach of diplomatic decorum during the national anthem. Pakistan needs to vehemently denounce the situation and expel the Afghan ambassador, according to prominent journalist Mubashir Zaidi. Senator Faisal Vawda, a prominent politician and member of the upper house, stated that the PTI Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s despicable deed brought humiliation to the nation and that the PTI is on the edge of destroying it to maintain its control. However, the Foreign Office also responded forcefully, stating that the acting consul general of Afghanistan should be condemned for disrespecting the national anthem of the host nation, which goes against diplomatic ethics. We are expressing our vehement objection to the Afghan government in Kabul and Islamabad. Since the anthem included music, the Afghan Consulate contended that the Afghan Acting Consul General should not have stood up, given the gravity of the situation.
Despite all of this evidence, the provincial government’s silence—particularly that of the chief executive—about this important matter betrays a risky and unsettling attitude towards the honor and dignity of the nation as well as the province’s affairs. A patriotic Pakistani cannot stand it when someone disrespects their national anthem and you not only invite them to an official event but also keep quiet about their behavior. The public reacted negatively to the provincial government’s disrespectful behavior, and they also requested that anyone who disrespects a nation’s national anthem be deported.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are friendly and neighboring nations, however during the last three years of the Afghan interim administration, there have been an unprecedented amount of cross-border attacks on Pakistan. Pakistan is no stranger to protests. It has also once crossed the border. International authorities have also documented reports indicating that Afghanistan has evolved into a “haven” for terrorist groups. Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the TTP are a few examples of these groups.
With this knowledge in hand, the provincial government—and particularly the chief minister—must reevaluate its stance, since Pakistan will continue to exist and be respected. They have no right to live here if they do not respect your country. In addition to registering a loud protest, Pakistan should rather decide to return these two individuals right away.