🇵🇰 The colours of Pakistan
6 meanings recorded, 10 colours tied to the country and 1 colour city.
Pakistan's flag features a deep green field with a white stripe, crescent, and star. The green stands for the Muslim majority, while the white stripe represents religious minorities. The crescent symbolises progress, and the star stands for light and knowledge. These colours and symbols reflect Pakistan's Islamic heritage and its commitment to minority rights.
#00401APakistan greenMuslim-majority populationWhere no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.
- Pakistan green is officially Pantone 19-5917 TCX (#00401A).
- The white stripe stands for religious minorities.
- The crescent symbolises progress; the star, light and knowledge.
- The flag's design is based on the Muslim League's banner.
- Strict protocols regulate the flag's display and handling.
The colours of the flag of Pakistan
The flag of Pakistan is made up of a dark green field with a white vertical stripe at the hoist, and a white crescent and five-pointed star in the centre. The green section stands for the Muslim majority, while the white stripe at the hoist end represents non-Muslim minorities. The crescent is a symbol of progress, and the star represents light and knowledge. These meanings are officially recognised and reflect both Islamic symbolism and the country's stated commitment to protecting minority communities.
How the colours were chosen of Pakistan
The flag's design is rooted in the banner of the Muslim League, which used a green field with a white crescent and star from the 1930s. Earlier, green flags with Islamic symbols were used in religious contexts. The final flag, adopted just before independence in 1947, added a white stripe to represent minorities. The design was created by a team led by Syed Amir-uddin Kedwaii and has not changed since its adoption.
Official shades and rules of Pakistan
The flag's green is officially specified as 'Pakistan green' with hex code #00401A. The flag's length-to-width ratio is 3:2, with the white stripe making up one quarter of the length. Detailed geometric rules define the placement and size of the crescent and star. Protocols govern how and when the flag is flown, including prohibitions on flying it at night (except over Parliament), displaying it vertically, or letting it touch the ground.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flag of Pakistan", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
What colours mean in Pakistan
Customs vary by region, faith and family; these are the meanings most often recorded.
Brides most often marry in red, usually a heavily embroidered lehenga or gharara. The night before, the mehndi ceremony stains their hands with deep red-brown henna.
Weddings and marriageJoyLoveSource: MehndiBasant, the spring kite festival of Lahore and the Punjab, is marked with yellow clothes, the colour of the mustard fields in flower.
Festival and celebrationJoySource: Basant (festival)The dark green of the flag stands for the Muslim majority. The crescent on it is for progress and the star for light and knowledge.
Politics and protestSacred and holyPrideSource: Flag of PakistanThe national cricket team plays in green and is known as the Green Shirts or the Men in Green. Fans paint their faces green and white for big matches.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Pakistan national cricket teamThe white stripe at the hoist of the flag stands for the country's religious minorities. Together the green and white are the national colours.
Politics and protestTrustSource: Flag of PakistanIn the month of Muharram, Shia Muslims dress in black to mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala, and black banners hang over the streets.
Mourning and deathGriefSource: Mourning of Muharram
Colours tied to Pakistan
Blue
Lapis lazuli
A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5
Black
Kohlكُحْل
A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
Red
Sindoorसिन्दूर
A red or orange-red powder marking marriage for Hindu women in South AsiaTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India +4
Green
Vert
The heraldic name for green, seen on coats of arms and many national flagsHeraldic colour · 🇧🇷 Brazil +4
Yellow
Cosmos sulphureus dye
An orange-yellow dye from the flowers of the Cosmos sulphureus plantColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5
Purple and violet
Turnsole
A blue-purple dye once prized for manuscripts and textilesDye · 🇮🇳 India +2
Blue
Bluing
A blue dye added to laundry to make white fabrics look brighterTraditional colour · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom +5
Red
Red红 / 紅 (hóng), Красный (Krasny)
A colour linked with luck, love, courage and ceremony in cultures worldwideBasic colour · 🇨🇳 China +5
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Vert: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kohl: Camila Zanon., CC BY 2.0, source
- Lapis lazuli: Adam Ognisty, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sindoor: Masum-al-hasan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Turnsole: Solanum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Red: Politikaner, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cosmos sulphureus dye: Alejandro Bayer Tamayo, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bluing: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Multan Pk: Yaarahmadd, CC BY-SA 4.0, source