Chidambaram plays down Indian flag flip-flop during meeting with Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD - Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that the upside down display of the Indian flag during his meeting with Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik is a minor issue, and added that the flag was put right after the fault was pointed out.

Chidambaram is the first Indian Home Minister to visit Pakistan in three decades. He met Malik at the Interior Ministry in Islamabad, where he was accorded a red carpet welcome and given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on Friday.

“Visuals in one of the channel showed that the Indian flag had been upside down when there was one on one meeting between me and Rehman Malik. That was the first visual, but immediately after we sat down I noticed the error and skewed the flag mast and it was put right,” Chidambaram told ANI.

“I think if you also show the visuals of delegation joining flag was flying right I think its a minor mistake and I don’t think we should make much of it. The flag was put right I therefore request the channel to show the second visuals taken when the delegations were meeting,” he added.

Chidambaram arrived here on Friday to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Home Ministers’ Conference.

In a special gesture, Malik went to the Chaklala Air Base in Rawalpindi and personally received Chidambaram on Friday. (ANI)