ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has lodged a formal protest with the Afghan government and their Embassy in Pakistan, condemning the disrespectful behavior of Afghanistan’s Consul General at an event in Peshawar, calling the act reprehensible.
The Foreign Office summoned the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires and lodged a strong protest over the Consul General’s breach of diplomatic etiquette. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, the Consul General’s decision to remain seated during Pakistan’s national anthem was deemed irresponsible and contrary to diplomatic norms. “Disrespecting the host country’s national anthem violates diplomatic protocols,” the spokesperson stated.
Afghan Consul General Muhibullah Shakir, who attended the Rahmatul Alamin conference in Peshawar at the invitation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, was accused of disregarding Pakistan’s national anthem by remaining seated, which was seen as a serious diplomatic violation.
Sources revealed that Shakir’s official documents are incomplete, and his refugee status expired in 2015. Security and diplomatic experts have criticized the act, calling for Shakir to be declared persona non grata and expelled from Pakistan.
In response, a spokesman from the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar clarified that the Consul General did not intend to disrespect Pakistan or its national anthem. The spokesman explained that Shakir remained seated because the anthem was accompanied by music, and had it been performed without music or by children, he would have stood.
