Ahead of I-Day, India, Pak flag off race of tall claims

AMRITSAR: India or Pakistan, whose national flag is taller? It is this game that officials of the two countries seem to be playing at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar ahead of the August 15 Independence Day celebrations.
The Amritsar Improvement Trust had started this game of one-upmanship by hoisting the Tricolour at 360 feet in March, but the attempt failed because strong winds tore up the flag.Now, Pakistan has said that it will hoist its flag at 400 feet on its Independence Day on August 14. Sources said work on putting up the flag is in full swing across the border.
India had hoisted the Tricolour of monumental proportions on March 5 at Attari but without conducting any study on whether the flag could withstand high velocity winds and other climatic conditions at a height of 360 feet. At the time, former Amritsar MLA and BJP leader Anil Joshi had said that even residents of Lahore would be able to see the flag.
Within a couple of days of its inauguration, strong winds damaged the flag. Since then it has been replaced five times after being damaged. The authorities finally decided to take down the flag and seek experts’ advice before hoisting it again. They are still waiting for experts’ suggestions to come in.
At present, the file seeking guidelines from the Union home ministry on safely hoisting the flag at 360 feet is moving at a snail’s pace in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Pakistani media reports say that a 120 feet wide national flag would be hoisted on a 400 feet flagpole. If hoisted successfully, the Pakistani national flag will be the eighth tallest flag in the world, the reports state.
While confirming that Pakistan was preparing to erect a flagpole on its side, deputy inspector general of Border Security Force, Amritsar sector, J S Oberoi said, “Pakistan Rangers had intimated us in advance about putting up the flagpole.”
Superintendent engineer, Amritsar Improvement Trust, Rajiv Sekhri told TOI, “We are still waiting for a reply from the home ministry. However, on Independence Day, we are contemplating hoisting the national flag on August 14 and 15 and then removing on August 16.”
Senior security officials felt they would feel embarrassed if Pakistan hoists its flag and there is nothing in comparison on the Indian side.
For the record, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the tallest unsupported flagpole has been erected by the Jeddah municipality and Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives in Saudi Arabia. The 561 feet high flag was hoisted on September 23, 2014.