This week, India and Pakistan celebrated their 77th Independence from British colonial rule on August 15th and 14th, respectively. Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing a gathering of Pakistani nationals at Burj Khalifa on August 14 at midnight is going viral on social media, claiming that it did not display the Pakistani flag to mark the country’s Independence Day.
In the viral video, a woman can be heard saying, “So the time is 12:01 am now and the Dubai officials have told us that Pakistan’s national flag won’t be displayed on Burj Khalifa. This is our status now. Pakistanis are raising slogans here but Pakistan’s flag won’t be displayed on Burj Khalifa. So sad, a prank has been played on Pakistanis.”
Notably, Dubai’s famous skyscraper, Burj Khalifa illuminates its facade with national flags of different countries to honour their respective Independence Days.
A Facebook user shared this video and wrote: “Thousands of Pakistanis gathered to see the flag of Pakistan on Burj Khalifa on Pakistani Independence Day. Burj Khalifa refused to display Pakistan’s flag this year. Thank You, UAE. This is the prank of the year.”
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar caption.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral post, and found it to be misleading.
Performing a keyword search on Google, the NewsMobile team traced multiple news reports mentioning the Burj Khalifa lit up Pakistan’s flag colours. According to a report of Gulf Today, dated August 14, 2023, Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest edifice, was emblazoned with the colours of Pakistan to celebrate the country’s Independence Day on Aug 14.
Scanning the social media handles of Burj Khalifa, we identified a video on their official Instagram handle in which a projection of Pakistan’s flag on the tower can be seen. The caption of the video reads: “Burj Khalifa lights up to celebrate The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s Independence Day. Wishing the people of Pakistan a day filled with pride, unity, and prosperity as you celebrate the rich heritage and achievements of your great nation. May the future hold even greater success and happiness for all Pakistanis. Happy Independence Day!”
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We also found a comment from an Instagram user, Latifjumandi, asking about the date of the video. Responding to it, the Burj Khalifa account clarified that the Pakistani flag was displayed at 7:50 PM on August 14 this year.
Therefore, we can conclusively say that Burj Khalifa indeed projected Pakistan’s flag on August 14, 2023. However, delaying flag projection may have led to misinformation.
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