Fact-check: Why was Pakistan’s flag not placed behind Bilawal during UNGA meeting?
Since Pakistan’s foreign minister met UNGA president at his office, flag behind the minister was of Hungary
Updated Tuesday Dec 27 2022
The picture of a meeting between Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and president of the United Nations General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi has gone viral after social media users criticised the foreign minister for not using the flag of his country during his meeting.
The claim is false.
Claim
On December 15, a user posted a picture of the meeting between the foreign minister and president of the United Nations General Assembly on Twitter. She then asked: “He [Zardari] is the foreign minister of which country?”
The tweet has been retweeted 279 times and liked 668 times, till date.
Another Twitter user asked the same question.
This tweet was retweeted over 3,000 times.
One social media user wrote: “Unfortunately foreigners are ruling Pakistan. This is why Pakistanis do not have bread, clothes and homes. This foreign ruler is wearing shoes worth Rs8 million. Which country’s flag is behind Pakistan’s foreign minister?
Fact
Since Pakistan’s foreign minister met the president of UNGA at his office, the flag behind the minister was that of Hungary, the country where the president of UNGA is from, confirmed officials.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson of the foreign office, told Geo Fact Check, that Bilawal met the UNGA president at his office in New York.
The president of UNGA is from Hungary so “in addition to the UN [flag], the flag of Hungary can be seen in the office,” she replied.
Separately, Pakistan’s press counsellor in New York also told Geo Fact Check, via messages, that the flag behind the foreign minister was that of Hungary.
“It is not a bilateral meeting,” he wrote, “It is the PGA [President General Assembly] office. So the PGA's country and UN flag is placed.”
He added that it was a UN protocol.
Geo Fact Check found that the same protocol was followed in other meetings that the president of UNGA held at his office, where on one side the UN flag was placed and on the other was the flag of Hungary.
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