Students create 10,000 square feet ‘human flag’

MCI official says event aimed at enlightening youth about ancestors’ sacrifices

ISLAMABAD:

A 10,000 square feet human flag was created at the Fatima Jinnah Park (F-9 Park) on Friday with the help of more than 5,000 students who gathered at the site early in the morning to take part in the festivities of the diamond jubilee of Pakistan.

The jubilant students, who used green and white cards in the formation of a large human flag, described the initiative as a "display of unity", expressing the resolve to break the world's record on the independence day of next year.

"We have decided to start preparations after the Independence Day for breaking the world record set by the students from Lahore a couple of years ago," said Akash Haider, a student from a private school which had sent many of its kids to the event. He said they would also reach out the students of other schools to materialize their plan for creating the largest human national flag.

Rimsha, another student from a public sector school, said they gathered to express solidarity with the country ahead of the Independence Day falling on Sunday (tomorrow). "We take part in creating the human flag to show our patriotism by action."

The initiative to create the human flag was carried out under the supervision of Director Sports, Culture and Tourism Aamir Shehzad.

Various competitions including, painting, tableau, sketching, speeches, and quiz competitions were also organised. According to Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad focal person Dr Abdullah Tabassum, the event was aimed at enlightening the coming generation about the sacrifices rendered by our forefather for the creation of Pakistan.

"It will also help them realise that it is a 'great blessing' to live in a free country," he added.

It was reported in 2014 that Pakistan broke the Guinness World Record for the largest human national flag made by 29,040 students at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan also made the largest human flag in 2012 with the participation of more than 24,200 people at the Punjab Youth Festival, but its record was later broken by Bangladesh.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2022.