Pakistan - Political flags

Last modified: 2000-12-15 by jonathan dixon
Keywords: pakistan | crescent | star | bhutto | party | jam'at alislami | pakistan people's party | jamiat al islami | shahada | khaksar tehrik | mqm | muttahida quami |
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• Pakistan People's Party - Murtazi Bhutto's faction
• Pakistan People's Party - Benazir Bhutto's faction
• Jamiat al Islami
• Muslim League
• Khaksar Tehrik
• Muttahida Quami Movement
• Unidentified Islamist or Regional Flag

• Pakistan

Pakistan People's Party - Murtazi Bhutto's faction

by Zeljko Heimer

The Pakistani flag is derived from a party flag. The ruling PPP of Benazir Bhutto uses a flag which incorporates the basic flag design (white inclined crescent and star on dark green), the same is true for the separatist faction of the PPP let by Mrs Bhutto's brother. Both parties use vertical tricolors.

Harald Müller, 28 October 1996

Yesterday I saw on the news a report on the murder of Pakistani politician Murtazi Bhutto, brother of prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and one of the strongest oppositions leaders.

There was a short scene from archives of one of his speeches a few days ago, where he sat at the table on which there was a flag I haven't seen before. I suppose that it is the flag of his party (which I don't remember what it is called). The flag was a vertical tricolour of red (at the hoist) - black - green with a white crescent and star very similar in shape to the one on Pakistani national flag.

The flag looks quite dark with this choice of colours, but quite effective if you ask me.

Zeljko Heimer, 22 September 1996

This would appear very similar to an old flag of Libya (1950-1969), which was red-black-green in three stripes, but horizontal (with the black stripe twice as wide as the other stripes). There was a white crescent and star on the black stripe.

Source: The International Flag Book in Colour, C.F. Pedersen (1970)

James Dignan, 25 September 1996

Pakistan People's Party - Benazir Bhutto's faction

by Jorge Candeias

Yesterday, in a news report on the nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, I saw an unknown to me flag: a 1:2 vertical tricolour of red, black and green. It was being flown in a military parade. Any ideas?

Jorge Candeias, 18 May 1998

It's the flag of the Pakistan People's Party, of which Benazir Bhutto is the leader. Flags of political parties throughout the sub-continent tend to be modified at the whim of the maker: crescents, stars, slogans, images of people, (usually the leader), etc., are all commonly displayed on them.

Glen Robert-Grant Hodgins, 19 May 1998

Jamiat al Islami

by António Martins and Mario Fabretto

Yesterday, the news was full of reports from demonstrations against Mrs Bhutto, now led by the party jam'at alislami. Its flag replaces the white stripe of the national flag by a light blue and a white stripe (ratio approx 2:1). Moreover, the crescent and star point towards the hoist. Perhaps, the orientation of the crescent reflects the orientation of the party (which, in this case, is considered to be a "fundamentalist" one).

Harald Müller, 28 October 1996

In yesterday's paper Publico I saw a photo taken in Islamabad (a demontrant holding a sign saying "CRUSH INDIA") with two or three flags on background: per bend azure over green, a bend argent. Does this rign a bell to someone?

António Martins, 15 May 1998

That's the flag of the party Jamiat Al Islami. At least three versions are know, all in vertical blue (at hoist) and green at fly (1:4) and a narrow white stripe between the two bands. The differences are the following:

1) the first one has the crescent and star (like the Pakistan national flag) and below the shahada.

2) the second has only the crescent and star (reported by Harald Mueller, former list member, with the crescent pointing towards the hoist and slighty rotated to the bottom; but I saw it in TV with the crescent and star in normal position).

3) The third has only the shahada and no crescent and star.

The ruling party in Pakistan is currently the Muslim League. It's flag is a white crescent on a green field, (just like the Pakistani national flag, but without the white bar at the hoist); in fact, the Pakistani national flag was based upon the flag of the Muslim League, just as the Indian national flag was based upon that of the Indian National Congress.

Glen Robert-Grant Hodgins, 19 May 1998

This is the flag of Khaksar Tehrik, a political party in Pakistan. The English translation of "Tehrik" is "Movement". See http://allama-mashriqi.8m.com/ for information on Allama Mashriqi -scholar and founder of the Khaksar movement
Office of Allama Mashriqi, 29 Nov 1999

This party flag can be seen at http://www.mqm.com/
Dov Gutterman, 15 Dec 1999

Some time ago I recorded a photo from the news of a demonstration in Sindh. The demonstrators hoisted a flag in the catalan pattern (4 bars) white on dark (probably black or dark red).
Many years ago, when Islamism didn't exist at the level of political organisations, I saw this flag many times on TV in new related to Pakistan, Sindh or Punjab (green, black or blue were the colors that I seemed to see). Currently the flag seems to be identified as an Islamist party flag, but why does it exist from many years ago? Can it be a regional flag? Probably regional flags exist in Pakistan.
Some years ago, in my notes, and from other vexillogists, it seems that is has only three white bars (and four green).
I saw a photo of Jaipur in Punjab with a similar flag (the flag is not totally visible, but could be three white bars on blue of three blue bars on white.

Jaume Ollé, 30 Aug 1999