Pak flag, balloons cause flutter at Durga Puri

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 14

Residents of Durga Puri, Haibowal, got curious when they noticed white and green balloons stuck in wires on Tuesday evening. A Pakistani flag was also tied to the balloons.

When people removed those balloons from the wires, they noticed something written in Urdu on the Pakistani flag. People were seen searching for some person who could read the message written in Urdu on the flag.

In no time, many people gathered in the market area and a discussion started. Some said somebody might have played a prank just to create panic among residents on the eve of Independence Day of India or on the Independence Day of Pakistan, which falls on August 14.

Others said it was possible that the balloons reached here all the way from Pakistan as the neighbouring country celebrated its Independence Day on Tuesday. Some children, who gathered there, asked the people to burst the balloons and burn the flag.

Meanwhile, a shopkeeper in the market, Ram Kumar, said it was around 5 pm that people started talking about these balloons and the Pakistani flag. He said he rushed to the spot. He found “I Love Pakistan” written on the balloons.

Then somebody fetched an elderly person who read the message written in Urdu on the flag. It reads: “Saint Joseph Church Lahore congratulates people on Pakistan’s independence day.” He said nothing objectionable or anti-India was written on the flag.

Later, people informed the police and handed over the balloons and the flag to them. Gurpeet Singh, ACP, said he had received a complaint and the police were sent to the spot. He said they had collected the flag and the balloons.