PESHAWAR: Pakistan condemned the “reprehensible disrespect” for the country’s national anthem by an Afghan diplomat, who decided to remain seated when the anthem was played at a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government event on Tuesday, sparking an uproar on social and mainstream media.

However, the Afghan consulate downplayed the incident, attributing the envoy’s decision to remain seated to the presence of “music in the anthem”.

The hard-line Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul is intolerant towards many art forms, including music. Their dislike for artists compelled many singers, musicians and other artists to flee the country when the Taliban claimed control of the country over two years ago.

On Tuesday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mum­taz Zahra Baloch said such “disrespect” for the host country’s anthem was against diplomatic norms.

“We are conveying our strong protest to the Afghan authorities both in Islamabad and Kabul,” she said in a statement.

In contrast, the Afghan consulate general’s spokesman, Shahidullah, insisted that “we cannot even think about disrespecting Pakist­an’s national anthem”.

“The only reason why the diplomat [the Afghan consul general in Peshawar, Mohibullah Shakir] remained seated was [because there is] music in the anthem,” Shahidullah told Dawn on Wednesday.

“Imagine a religious scholar standing up for music,” he said.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur acknowledged the envoy’s explanation.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024