A flag similar to that of the militant Islamic State (IS) group was seen waving in Islamabad's Khana area on Sunday morning, before being removed by the local police after a citizen reported the matter.

Police removed the flag, hoisted on a pole by an unidentified person, in the afternoon after one Naveed Ahmed Khan — a resident of Dera Ismail Khan — informed Rescue 15 of the matter.

Khan, who was taken in by the police, said in his statement that he was travelling on the Sixth Road in Islamabad when he saw the flag. Khan added that he recognised the flag as he had seen it on the television before.

The flag had "Khilafat is coming" written on it, in addition to the Arabic verses.

Taking notice of the matter, Minister of Interior Ahsan Iqbal asked the inspector general of police to file a report on the said matter.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied the presence of the militant organisation on its soil, while acknowledging the rise of IS in Afghanistan as a point of concern.

Over the past couple of years, reports of IS leaflets and pamphlets found in different parts of the country have circulated.

In January last year, IS leaflets were found in a girls school in Gujrat warning the administration to close down the school.

In 2014, leaflets calling for support of IS were seen in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while pro-IS slogans appeared on walls in several cities across the country.