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Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, came into being as a nation in 1947, when the British ruled Indian sub-continent was divided by Britain into two independent states, Pakistan and India.
The Pakistan national flag is patterned after a flag created in 1906 to represent the All-Indian Muslim League; a political organisation initially established to represent the political rights of Muslims in India. The flag featured an all green field with a white crescent and star centrally placed.
In 1940, the All-Indian Muslim League demanded the partition of India and the creation on an independent Muslim state.
Despite Indian objections, who wished for a united Indian sub-continent, the new state of Pakistan came into existence on the 14th of August 1947 and the current national flag was adopted the next day, on the 15th of August 1947.
The name Pakistan comes from the Urdu language, the official tongue of Pakistan: pak, meaning pure and stan, meaning country.
The flag remained unchanged when Pakistan produced its first constitution in 1956 and officially became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
In December 1971, the Pakistani province of East Pakistan seceded and became the independent republic Bangladesh. |
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Green is a traditional Islamic colour and the crescent and star are also symbols of Islam.
The vertical white stripe at the hoist represents the non-Muslim, minority, religious groups in Pakistan.
A more modern interpretation has green connoting prosperity, white symbolising peace, the white crescent representing progress and the white five-pointed star symbolising light and knowledge. |
