Pakistan’s largest flag manufacturer, VIP Flags, informed an interesting statistic of 50 percent growth in sales this year as the public marks the country’s 78th Independence Day with a reportedly unusual zeal, fueled by celebrations of victory in the May 2025 conflict with India.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought three major wars since 1947, engaged in their deadliest fighting in decades this May. The fighting ended on May 10 after US mediation, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government declaring victory and saying it had downed at least six Indian fighter jets.
Major locations of the country display documentaries of military’s achievements in the past,Pakistan’s becoming a nuclear power and certainly the recent conflict.
In Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi ahead of Aug. 14, large and small flag adorned vehicles, houses and office buildings, alongside buntings and night-time illuminations. Meanwhile, federal and provincial governments are holding daily events, with top officials like the prime minister and army chief expected to attend ceremonies in Islamabad on Aug. 13 and 14.
This raises the question of nationalism and the way it can politically be weaponised in today’s world.
