'We tied the flag with two paraandas'

After achieving Independence, Pakistan's national flag was hoisted for the first time.

Abeeda S. Abidi and Kaniz Wajid Khan recall raising the Pakistani flag and how they made it work despite not having the right equipment.

Says Abeeda, "So what happened was on the 14th of August there was this place called Pardah Bagh, where all the Muslim women gathered and they marched to Jamia Masjid, Lahore. So we marched there, and the whole of the courtyard was full of the women wearing green dupattas shouting "Quaid e Azam zindabad!" and "Pakistan milgeya", and all the, you know, very patriotic slogans."

"So a few of my friends and I went up to the minar, and we took up the flag, which was just a green dupatta tied to a pole. And when we reached up we realised we didn't have anything to tie the flag with, so one of the girls she took out her two paraandas, and you know, we tied it. And of course there was such an applause from down below... this minara is quite high, and we waved from there, and the green dupatta was flying in the air and there was so much of shouting, and slogans, and applause, and claps."

Says Kaniz, remembering the day, "We were in Murshidabad, and on the 14th of August we hoisted the flag there. So we were expecting it to be a part of Pakistan, so we hoisted a flag there."

This article is part of a week-long series on achieving independence and the early years of Pakistan, run collaboratively by Images and The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP).

CAP is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and historic preservation. It seeks to educate the community, foster an awareness of our nation’s history and instill pride in Pakistani citizens about their heritage.