Flag raised for Pakistan Day

Mayor Carol Wardle, Gulam Shahzad OBE, Simon Danczuk MP and Mayoress Beverley Place at the raising of the Pakistani flag (upside down!) at Rochdale Town Hall

The Pakistani flag was raised outside Rochdale Town Hall yesterday, Pakistan Day, 23 March.

The Mayor of Rochdale Carol Wardle, Mayoress Beverley Place, Simon Danczuk MP, councillors, representatives of organisations, leaders and members of the Pakistani Community attended.

Whilst the flag has been raised outside the Town Hall for many years on Pakistan Day, the event proved controversial and created a storm of protest on social media.

The Sun columnist and Celebrity Big Brother runner up, Katie Hopkins became embroiled in a vitriolic row with Rochdale MP, Simon Danczuk.

Ms Hopkins said the raising of the flag is "not helping community cohesion", it is she added  "inflammatory" - in light of the grooming cases that have come to light in Rochdale.

Mr Danczuk said to "equate every Pakistani with grooming is a racist slur". He added that he is proud of Rochdale's "community cohesion".

In an embarrassing mistake, the flag was initially raised upside down.

Pakistan Day celebrates the anniversary of the Pakistan Resolution being passed in Lahore on 23 March 1940. After this historic resolution Pakistan came into existence on 14 August 1947.