ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police on Monday registered a First Investigation Report (FIR) regarding the appearance of a flag belonging to the self-styled militant Islamic State (IS) group in the outskirts of the capital.
The FIR, which includes clause 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, has been registered at the Khanna Police Station. Law enforcement agencies swung into action on September 24 after the flag, spotted on a bridge near Iqbal Town in Khanna police precincts, triggered a debate on social and electronic media over whether it belonged to the IS or not.
Taking notice of the situation, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, before leaving for a trip to China, had asked the Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP) to look into the matter and submit a report. Khanna Police Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Sattar had earlier said that the flag did not belong to IS.
The flag came to the attention of authorities after a citizen reported it to police, after which a team from the said police station reached the spot and removed the flag. The investigators were, however, not able to determine who had hoisted the flag and when questioned, the citizen who gave police the initial information, said that he saw the flag while passing through the area and assumed that it belonged to the terrorist organisation, as it was similar to IS flags he had seen in television reports.
The flag, which was black in colour, bore the message “The caliphate is coming,” along with some holy names and scriptures.
“After receiving information about the flag, we removed it immediately, but despite our best efforts, it could not be confirmed whether the flag belongs to a party or a group. It could be mischief or a prank,” the SHO had said. “The IGP has called a late night meeting to discuss the issue and a report will be submitted to the interior minister,” he added.
