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Pakistan

Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islam-i Jamhuriya-e Pakistan

by Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024
Flag adopted 14 August 1947, coat of arms adopted 23 March 1956.

Description of flag
Who was the designer of the Pakistan flag?
Color Specifications
Sizes and use of the flag
Pakistan coat of arms

Description of Flag

The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah**, the founder of Pakistan. The national flag of Pakistan is dark green in colour with a white bar, a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed star. The significance of the colour and symbols used in the Pakistan Flag is as follows:

The white and dark green field represents minorities & Muslim majority, respectively.
The crescent on the flag represents progress.
The five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.

From http://www.pak.gov.pk/Flag.aspx, collected by Ivan Sache, 21 October 2008

Flag display in Pakistan easily exceeds that of the US. Pakistani's are very proud of the flag and display it everywhere. I was amazed at how many Pakistani flags I saw flying from private homes, even out in the country side.

Even though there are specific proportions for all the parts on Pakistan's flag, said specifications were seldom followed on any flag I saw with the exception of some printed flags I ran up upon.
Clay Moss, 4 July 2001

A note in Album des Pavillons (2000) explains that this flag is not to be flown as a civil flag. The correction 1 to Album des Pavillons (2000) has an entry for Pakistan, but from what I could see, the only difference is more detailed construction information for the national flag. I believe that both issues contain correct construction information, though.
Željko Heimer, 8 September 2002

According to Vlaggen van de wereld, the flag of Pakistan is so important for that country that it appears in the national anthem. Indeed, http://www.yespakistan.com/people/anthem.asp shows the third verse of the anthem to start with, in English: "This Flag of the Crescent and Star, Leads the way to progress and perfection."
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 23 December 2011

Who was the designer of the Pakistan flag?

On a Pakistan government webpage (now only available on the Internet Archive) it is reported that the the Pakistan flag was designed by Ameer-ud-din Khidwai.
Collected by Dov Gutterman, 10 January 1999

The description of the flag is unchanged in a revised version of the page at http://www.pak.gov.pk/Flag.aspx but the name of the designer has been changed: "The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan."

The "Daily Times", 23 July 2008, quoting the Pakistan Press International (PPI) agency, lists yet another designer of the national flag:
"The death anniversary of Master Afzal Hussain, the man who designed the Pakistani flag, should be commemorated at a national level, urged Master Afzal Hussain Foundation Trust chairperson Qamar Sultana Monday. While addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, she said that Hussain designed the national flag but the government had failed to recognize his services. [...] . Master Afzal died on July 16, 1987."
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C07%5C22%5Cstory_22-7-2008_pg12_4
Ivan Sache, 21 October 2008

The Daily Times, Karachi - Friday, October 31, 2008, reported:
"Who made Pakistan's first flag, Afzal or Altaf?" By Jamil Khan

KARACHI: Once again the controversy of who stitched the first Pakistani flag was brought into the light when Zahoorul Hassan, the son of Master Altaf Hussain, in a press conference at Karachi Club on Thursday, claimed that is father and not his uncle, Master Afzal Hussain, stitched the first Pakistani flag after the announcement of Partition in June 1947. Master Afzal Hussain was formally recognized by former premier Nawaz Sharif, as the person who stitched Pakistan's first flag. Barrister Samin Khan accompanied Zahoor, who lives in Hyderabad, at the press conference. Zahoor stated that his cousins distorted the facts behind the story and deliberately stated that their father had stitched the flag, thus being awarded and recognized by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1996.
"I raised this issue many times in the past but no government after 1996 was interested in giving the rightful status to Master Altaf Hussain's family," he said. Zahoor brought his fathers belongings to the press conference, including his father's All India Muslim League National Guards identity card and the photograph taken by an American photographer of Master Altaf stitching Pakistan's national flag in his New Delhi shop. Demanding that the present government should conduct a fair inquiry on the matter, he said that it should also give Master Altaf's family the appropriate status on a national level. Earlier, Barrister Samin Khan narrated his own story of how he and Margaret Bourke White, an American photographer working for Life magazine, witnessed Altaf stitching the Pakistani flag at Master Altaf Hussain's New Delhi shop on June 3 1947. "All India Muslim League Secretary General Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan summoned me to accompany the American photographer who wanted to take pictures of different parts of Delhi," said Barrister Samin adding that when they reached Master Altaf Hussain's shop, White photographed Master Altaf stitching the flag. "The pictures were published in the Life magazine's edition printed on Aug 18 1947, this proves Zahoorul Hassan's claim," he said.
Saying that Tehreek-e-Pakistan Karkunan gave a gold medal to Master Altaf Hussain who died in 1967, he stated that the current government should do the same.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 31 October 2008

The Husain family does not give up. Quoting "The News", 3 August 2009:
"Zahoor-ul-Hasan, the son of Master Altaf Husain, a resident of Hyderabad, has claimed that his father Master Altaf Husain was the actual maker of the Pakistani flag at the time of the creation of Pakistan and demanded that his father’s name be included in the record of the movement of Pakistan. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Zahoor-ul-Hasan said at the time when the new state of Pakistan was on the anvil of creation, the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam, got the flag of Pakistan designed by Amiruddin Kidwai. Zahoor said the Quaid brought the design to his father Altaf Husain, who was running a tailoring shop in Delhi with the name Husain Brothers.

The Quaid asked Altaf Husain to sew the new flag of Pakistan, which he promptly did. Zahoor presented before the press a photo of his father sewing the flag of Pakistan. The photo was also published on August 18 edition of the American weekly magazine LIFE."
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=191175.
Ivan Sache, 29 August 2009

I don't think this information states that Altaf Husain was the designer of the flag. It rather seems to say, he made the first flag but based on the design provided to him by Amiruddin Kidwai.
Elias Granqvist, 30 August 2009

In the modern times a national flag is one of the basic requirements for a nation state. It symbolizes the state and is considered a matter of honor, respect and pride for the entire nation. Pakistan’s national flag, comprised of green and white with a crescent and star, was designed by AmiruddinKidwai, approved by the Muslim League leadership and finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly of the country. Jinnah showed personal interest in making of the flag. He wanted to make it reflect the feelings of the people of Pakistan and thus annoyed Mountbatten by not accepting his design. There are some controversies regarding the flag including the debate that whether the crescent is in right direction or not, but ever since the birth of Pakistan, there is a national consensus about this flag and not even a slight modification has been made in it.

Source: Making of Pakistan’s Flag: Politics and Controversies by Farooq Ahmad Dar, FWU Journal of Social Sciences, Winter 2016, Vol.10, No.2, 124-131

Victor Garcia, 4 February 2025

Color Specifications

There is an essay on Pakistani flag including its color: https://takhleeq.substack.com/p/t003-designing-the-flag-of-pakistan
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.
For Pakistan: PMS 343 green. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012

There is no official source that gives exact colors of the national flag; these are all approximate colors from these documented sources.

The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone color: PMS 343C (green).

The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 4.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Green: Pantone 342c, CMYK 100-0-70-40
Blue: Pantone 280c, CMYK 100-70-0-10
Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 0-90-80-5
Gold: Pantone 123c, CMYK 0-30-95-0

The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the colors of the flags in three color systems:
Blue: Pantone 280c, CMYK 100-89-27-8, RGB 0-38-127
Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 10-100-74-2, RGB 210-16-52
Yellow: Pantone 123c, CMYK 0-24-88-0, RGB 255-199-38
Green: Pantone 342c, CMYK 89-32-74-24, RGB 0-106-78

Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 330C (green), and PMS White.

Wikipedia illustrates the flag, and construction details, and gives color values as follows.
Green: RGB 1-65-28, Hex #01411c, CMYK 98-0-57-75
White: RGB 255-255-255, Hex #FFFFFF, CMYK 0-0-0-0

Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Green: Hex # 115740, RGB 17-87-64, CMYK 87-13-72-56, Pantone 343, RAL 6036
White: #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0

Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024

Sizes and Use of the Flag

The Pakistani flag is flown on the offices and official residences of VIPs when they are home.

SIZE OF FLAGS:
i) For ceremonial occasions. 21' x 14', 18' x 12', 10' x 6-2/3' or 9' x 6 1/4.
ii) For use over buildings. 6' x 4' or 3' x 2'.
iii) For cars 12" x 8".
iv) For tables 6 1/4" x 4 1/4".

Occasions on which Pakistani flag is to be flown
i) Pakistan Day (23rd March)
ii) Independence Day (14th August)
iii) Quaid-e-Azim's Birthday (25th December)
iv) Such other days as may be notified by the Government from time to time.

Days when flags at half-mast
i) Death anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (21st April)
ii) Death anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam (11th September)
iii) Death anniversary of Liaquat Ali Khan (16th October)
iv) Any other day notified by the Government.

Flag to be flown on residences
The Pakistan Flag shall be flown on the official residences of the following VIPs when they are home: -
1. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.
2. Chairman of the Senate and Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
3. Governors of the Provinces.
4. Federal Ministers and other dignitaries entitled to the privileges of the Ministers of the Government of Pakistan.
5. Chief Ministers and Ministers of Provinces.
6. The Chief Election Commissioner.
7. Deputy Chairman of the Senate / Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
8. Speakers of the Provincial Assemblies.
9. Diplomatic Representatives of Pakistan in foreign countries.
10. Commissioners of Divisions, Deputy Commissioners and Political Agents.

Note: - The Pakistan Flag will be flown on the official residence of the President / Prime Minister alongside his personal standard.

Flag to be flown on motorcars
The following persons shall be entitled to fly the Pakistan Flag on their motor cars, vessels and aeroplanes, when the dignitaries themselves are seated: -
1. The President of Pakistan.
2. The Prime Minister of Pakistan.
3. The Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan.
4. The Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
5. Chief Justice of Pakistan.
6. The Governors of the Provinces.
7. The Chief Ministers of the Provinces.
8. Chief Justices of the High Courts.

Note: - The President / Prime Minister may fly two flags i.e., his personal flag in addition to the National Flag.

Located by Dov Gutterman, 8 August 2002
Source: http://www.interior.gov.pk/pakistani_flag.htm

Pakistan coat of arms

image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024

The Coat of Arms or State Emblem of Pakistan was adopted in 1954 and symbolizes Pakistan's ideological foundation, the basis of its economy, its cultural heritage and its guiding principles.

The four components of the emblem are a crescent and star crest above an escutcheon, which is surrounded by a wreath, below which is a scroll. The crest and the green colour of the emblem are considered traditional symbols of Islam. The quartered shield in the centre shows cotton, wheat, tea and jute, which were the major crops of Pakistan at independence and are shown in a form of escutcheon and signify as the main agricultural base for the importance of the Nation's economy. The floral wreath, surrounding the shield, is Jasminum officinale (the national flower) and represents the floral designs used in traditional Mughal art and emphasizes the cultural heritage of Pakistan. The scroll supporting the shield contains the national motto in Urdu, "Īmān, Ittiḥād, Naẓm", which reads from right to left: (ایمان، اتحاد، نظم), translated as "Faith, Unity, Discipline" which are intended as the guiding principles for Pakistan. This logo was designed by Maraj Muhammad student of National College of Arts.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 August 2024