Pak tableau at SCO event shows Delhi’s Red Fort as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens

India and Pakistan were admitted as members into the six-member SCO at the Astana Summit last week.

A reception held by the SCO at its Beijing headquarters highlighting the entry of India and Pakistan turned out to be an embarrassment for the organisers as India’s Red Fort with the tricolour was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens in a Pakistani tableau.

The Mughal era Red Fort, located in New Delhi, was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens in an event at the SCO meet in Astana. (Sonu Mehta/HT File Photo)

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Indian envoy to China Vijay Gokhale along with the ambassadors of Pakistan Masood Khalid and other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members attended the function on Wednesday.

The first colourful event, however, caused an embarrassment for the organisers as India’s Red Fort with an Indian flag was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens on the tableau of Pakistan.

Both Indian and Pakistani diplomats pointed out the faux pas to the organisers.

SCO officials were apologetic about the gaffe, saying that they failed to cross check the photos on display as this was the first event involving India and Pakistan.

The SCO headquarters will raise the flags of India and Pakistan on Thursday and Gokhale and Khalid will beat a drum, heralding the entry of their countries into the organisation.

The group is now comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have an observer status in the grouping that is increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO.