afiz Mohibullah Shakir, the acting Afghan consul general in Peshawar, caused an uproar first on social media and then mainstream media platforms by refusing to stand up when Pakistan’s national anthem was played at a government.

Pakistan does not formally recognise the interim government in Kabul, led by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan. Despite this, the acting consul general was invited to a conference organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. During the event, when Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and other government officials rose to show respect to the national anthem, the guest chose to remain seated.

No country in the world has recognised the Afghan government since the Taliban takeover in Kabul and its representatives are not accorded diplomatic protocol. However, Afghanistan has acting envoys in Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia to manage state-to-state relations. Government representatives are expected to stand up when the host country’s national anthem is placed and flag-hoisting ceremonies.

Shahid Ullah Zaheer, a spokesperson for the Afghan consulate general in Peshawar, has said that the acting consul general’s action was not meant to show disrespect. He attributed the action to the Afghan Taliban’s stance against music. “Afghanistan has banned the playing of its own anthem since it involved playing music,” Zaheer said. “Standing up for music is not permitted… Since the Pakistani national anthem contains music, he chose not to stand.” Zaheer added that if the anthem did not included music, the consul general would have stood up to show respect.

However, the explanation is far from satisfactory. Afghan officials abroad, including Pakistan, have been seen rising or national anthems. The same acting consul general stood up for Pakistan’s national anthem at the Governor’s House in Peshawar during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebration on August 14, this year.

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi told local media in an interview; “I invited him on August 14. He had no issue during the flag-hoisting ceremony.” He also noted that the American and Iranian consuls-general were also present at the event.

Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur, however, said, “At Islamic events, envoys from Islamic countries are invited. At this programme, our national anthem was played, and their policy is that they do not appreciate music.” He said the acting consul general had already said there was no issue with the anthem.

In a similar incident, the Afghan ambassador to Iran, Mawlawi Fazal Muhammad Haqqani, remained seated during the playing of Iranian national anthem at a conference on Islamic unity. Iran later summoned the acting head of Afghanistan’s embassy to lodge a protest.

In response to media queries about the Peshawar event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan issued a statement on September 17, that is also available on its website. The statement reads: “Disrespecting the host country’s national anthem is against diplomatic norms. The actions of the acting consul general of Afghanistan are reprehensible. We are conveying our strong protest to the Afghan authorities in Islamabad and Kabul.”

Several members of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have condemned the consul-general’s action. On September 18, a PPP member of the KP provincial assembly, submitted a resolution condemning the consul-general’s behaviour. The resolution says that not standing up for the national anthem at a government event in Peshawar is a violation of the diplomatic norm and calls for a formal protest to be lodged with Afghan authorities.

Despite Pakistan’s welcoming of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, relations between Islamabad and Kabul have remained strained and there have been several border skirmishes.

Pakistan has on several occasions accused Afghanistan of allowing its territory to be used by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban have denied this, suggesting that militancy in Pakistan is an internal issue.

The writer, a journalist, has covered militancy and crime in northwest Pakistan for nearly two decades. Follow him at @RasoolDawar