India's Red Fort with an Indian flag was shown as Lahore's Shalimar Gardens on the tableau of Pakistan at the reception held by Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, a faux pas pointed out by Indian and Pakistani diplomats.
According to a report by The Times of India, a picture of Delhi's Red Fort was presented with the Indian flag fluttering above it. The Pakistani folks claimed it was a fort in Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. The Pakistan side said, "These are masterpieces from the time of the brilliant Mughal civilisation, which reached its height during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan."
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The organisation’s officials said they hadn’t cross-checked the photos on display at the event where India and Pakistan were admitted as members into the six-member grouping at the Astana Summit last week.
The group is now comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indian envoy to China Vijay Gokhale along with the ambassadors of Pakistan Masood Khalid and other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members attended the function.
Tomorrow the SCO headquarters will raise the flags of India and Pakistan and Gokhale and Khalid will beat a drum, heralding the entry of their countries into the organisation.
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The SCO emerged from Shanghai Five (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) which was founded in 1996 after demarcation of China’s borders with the four newly independent States that appeared after collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
