By: Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam
Secretary General, Palestine Foundation Pakistan
(Palestine Foundation Information Center), Pakistan has always posed a formidable challenge to the illegitimate Zionist state of Israel. The Zionist lobby has consistently tried to alter Pakistan’s principled and ideological stance, a stance wherein Pakistan recognizes Israel as an occupier and an illegitimate entity. To counter this challenge, the usurping Zionist regime has utilized a few self-proclaimed journalists within Pakistan, through whom delegations were even sent to Israel in the past.
Similarly, government officials have, at various times, held both clandestine and overt meetings with Israeli ambassadors and officials at international forums. Nonetheless, just as Pakistan remains a challenge for the usurping Zionist gang of Israel, this Zionist gang remains a challenge for Pakistan.
In line with the thoughts and ideologies of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the people of Pakistan have steadfastly refused to recognize Israel. Furthermore, the Pakistani public shares a deep emotional bond with the Palestinian people and holds a profound religious attachment to the sacred land of Palestine.
Recently, a photo and a video have been spreading like wildfire on social media, showing the Israeli flag being displayed at the University of Chakwal, a prominent public sector institution in the Punjab province.
In a Muslim-majority country like Pakistan, where Israel is not recognized as a state and where public sentiment runs intensely against the atrocities inflicted upon the Palestinian people, this incident triggered a wave of severe public outrage among internet users. Varied opinions flooded social media, and the university administration came under scathing criticism.
The entire issue unfolded when the University’s International Relations (IR) Department organized a strategic conference. During this conference, the Israeli flag was displayed alongside the flags of various other nations. In reality, displaying the Israeli flag in places like a university falls under the ambit of offenses that promote relations with Israel and violate the national narrative.
Instead of admitting its blunder, the University of Chakwal issued a clarifying press release stating:
“The University of Chakwal explicitly clarifies that the presence of the Israeli flag at the said conference was by no means intended to project or endorse Israel’s identity. Rather, it aimed to brief the students on the fact that Israel poses a grave threat to the Muslim Ummah, particularly to Pakistan, and is perpetrating severe oppression and tyranny against the oppressed Muslims of Gaza. The primary objective of the conference was to raise awareness among students and provide them with an understanding of the current geopolitical situation in its true context. The conference also analyzed the defense capabilities of countries including the United States, China, India, Iran, and Pakistan, so that IR students could remain aware of the defense strengths of both friendly and adversary nations.”
The administration further asserted that the news circulating on social media was a misconception born out of ignorance of the facts; hence, the university management deemed it their vital responsibility to bring the actual facts to public knowledge and present the institution’s clear stance.
The University of Chakwal maintained it is entirely clear that the nation stands like a solid wall alongside the historic statement of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, regarding Israel. Quaid-e-Azam explicitly supported the Muslims’ right to self-determination for a Palestinian state and fiercely opposed the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. The university reiterated its alignment with this stance, viewing the establishment of such a state as a robbery of Muslim rights, and vowed to uphold the historic position of the Father of the Nation in the future. Furthermore, the University of Chakwal expressed its commitment to providing students with accurate historical and political awareness alongside regular education, acquainting them with facts that make them informed and responsible citizens.
Nevertheless, the university’s clarifying stance is weak and groundless. The Pakistani passport explicitly states that it is valid for all countries of the world except Israel. When the State of Pakistan recognizes Israel as a usurping and illegal Zionist entity, under what law or regulation did the university administration permit the official display or hoisting of this occupying regime’s flag on Pakistani soil, regardless of the purpose? Can the ideological frontiers and state policy of Pakistan be set aside in the name of academic purposes?
Universities worldwide analyze adversary nations, their aggression, and their defense capabilities, but is it mandatory to formally display an enemy’s national flag to teach their aggression? If this was merely a comparison of defensive strengths, why weren’t the flags of Taiwan or other disputed regions displayed at this conference? Does placing a flag that represents Israel as a sovereign state on equal footing with recognized countries (such as the US, China, and India) not amount to subconsciously accepting Israel as a legitimate state?
The University of Chakwal cited the historic stance of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in its defense. Yet, Quaid-e-Azam termed Israel an illegitimate child and a manifestation of Zionist aggression. The question arises: Is giving an international diplomatic protocol (in the form of a flag) to an entity whose very existence the founder of Pakistan refused to recognize an adherence to Quaid-e-Azam’s stance, or a negation of it?
In this sensitive era of the ongoing worst genocide and atrocities in Gaza, when the hearts of the Pakistani public beat in unison with their Palestinian brothers and sisters, how could a university administration be so insensitive as to wave the flag of that killer regime before its students? Does the university not realize that this act insults the blood of the martyrs of Gaza and the sentiments of the Pakistani people?
The university claims its objective was to awaken awareness among students. The counter-question is: Are the university professors and the IR department so incompetent that they could not apprise students of Israel’s atrocities and threats through maps, documentaries, or lectures without displaying its flag? Could the geopolitical situation not be explained without highlighting the Zionist symbol?
The university has attempted to camouflage its move by labeling the flag display as “identifying the enemy.” However, the reality remains that a flag symbolizes a country’s sovereignty and its legal existence. Since Pakistan does not recognize the existence of Israel at all, this act by the university is not academic; rather, it reflects an intellectual retreat that accepts the Zionist entity as a “state,” even if done out of sheer naivety.
The Constitutional Paradigm
Let us examine what the Constitution of Pakistan says on this matter. The University of Chakwal committed a blunder on one hand, and instead of apologizing, it presented flawed and groundless justifications on the other, making a failed attempt to create a soft corner for Israel.
In the light of the Constitution of Pakistan, it is the constitutional responsibility of every public or semi-public institution (including universities) to uphold the ideological foundations of the state and the guiding principles of its foreign policy.
- Article 40 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan dictates that relations with the Muslim world and maintaining international peace are fundamental pillars of Pakistan’s foreign policy, directly encompassing its ideological frontiers. Article 40 states that the State shall endeavor to preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic unity, and seek to foster international peace and security. Conversely, the University of Chakwal acted against this. When the state has a clear constitutional commitment to work for the rights and solidarity of the Muslim Ummah, displaying the flag of a usurping, illegitimate entity (Israel), which is the epicenter of atrocities against the Muslim Ummah (Palestine), in a public university is a blatant violation of the spirit of Article 40 and Pakistan’s ideological foreign policy.
- Article 31 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan states that it is the responsibility of the state to foster the Islamic way of life, binding the state to assist citizens in understanding the fundamental concepts of Islam. Under this article, steps must be taken to enable the Muslims of Pakistan, individually and collectively, to order their lives in accordance with the fundamental principles and concepts of Islam. The actions of the University of Chakwal contradict this principle. Islam teaches to raise one’s voice against oppression and side with the oppressed. Waving the flag of a usurping and illegitimate Zionist state in the name of teaching international relations runs counter to the Islamic and intellectual grooming of the students, a protection that remains the responsibility of every public educational institution under Article 31.
- Article 5 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan pertains to loyalty to the state and obedience to the Constitution. This is the most fundamental article, applicable to every citizen as well as all state institutions. Article 5(1) states that loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen, while Article 5(2) mandates that obedience to the Constitution and law is the inviolable obligation of every citizen wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Pakistan.
The official, legal, and diplomatic stance of the State of Pakistan is that Israel is a usurping and illegitimate entity. The University of Chakwal administration, while operating within the state, cannot deviate from the state’s overarching policy. The principles of Quaid-e-Azam and the official stance of the state are the benchmarks of Pakistan’s ideological loyalty, and deviating from them undermines the requirements of loyalty to the state under Article 5. By displaying the flag of an illegitimate state in a public university, the University of Chakwal has compromised the very spirit of Article 5.
To sum up, elements working for the Zionist lobby exist in various sectors, sometimes disguised as journalists, sometimes as intellectuals, religious scholars, or university professors. Therefore, it is the duty of every Pakistani citizen to raise their voice against such elements to defend Pakistan’s ideological frontiers, and the government must take effective, stringent action against all such measures.
