A COUNTRY’s national standard is more than an object that flutters on flag masts or rests against the façade of tall buildings -- it is a country’s identity, an expression of its ideals and aspirations of its people, and a symbol of a nation’s collective pride. It, therefore, deserves the highest respect and the greatest attention to detail.

On Pakistan’s National Day, March 23, it was certainly invigorating to see so many flags atop public and private buildings and at numerous public places. Many newspapers, including Dawn, carried pictures of the national symbol. However, there were at least two pictures in your paper on the day where the flag was misrepresented.

On the front page there was a picture of a flag proudly held by young Pakistanis to celebrate the country’s victory at the Asia Cup. The feeling the picture created was truly elating.

But a close look at the flag revealed a mistake in the design of the flag. With the white vertical bar on the right, the white crescent and star should have been pointing towards the southeast.

It is unlikely that the flag had turned over, and the design got inverted. The image of the crescent and star are sharp enough to dispel the idea.

The bigger mistake was on page 2 -- the picture of the flag in front of the Wapda House in Lahore. Not only is the proportion of the total flag wrong (the correct ratio being 3:2), even the space given to the white bar was not a quarter of the size of the flag.

The most disappointing part, however, was that the crescent and star on this flag as well were pointing in the wrong direction. I am sure other publications may have carried a picture of this prominent institution.

What can one say about people or organisations that cannot take enough care to ensure that our national symbol, prominently displayed by them, conforms to the design standard approved by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan? All it takes is to match the design with the approved standard available on countless sites on the Internet.

EJAZ WASAY Karachi