Pakistanis love a good debate. Just log on to Twitter and you’ll find yourself immersed deep within threads upon threads filled with arguments intellectual discussions. That’s probably why it isn’t too surprising that Pakistani Twitter hopped aboard the speculation surrounding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department’s new logo for its Elementary and Secondary Education systems.
For those of you who don’t know what it looks like, the new KP logo is a blend of four colors, bearing a close resemblance to what a rainbow-colored logo would look like.
Here’s the new KP logo, in all its four-colored glory:
Seems pretty innocent, right? Well, not a lot of Pakistanis agree to that. In an unsurprising turn of events, people started likening the four-colored logo to the seven-colored LGBTQ flag.
Questions were raised about the logo
Why your logo is same as bisexual flag????
— ننھاunna〽️ (@EUkundi) June 29, 2017
The KP Education Department was asked to Google what the LGBTQ flag looked like
Dear @EducationKP Go to the google and search for #homosexual. You'll find the right answer with details.
May be your purpose will right but pic.twitter.com/4Es7n6Mqep— Janta Jnardan (@JantaJnardan) June 30, 2017
Additionally, even PTI supporters couldn’t muster up support for the logo
Change the logo. I am supporter of #PTI but i am against copying #LGBT flag as your logo #ChangeKPESElogo
— A-R (@dr_ab_rehman) June 29, 2017
Moreover, Pakistani journalist, Ansar Abbasi, also considered the prospect to be ‘dangerous’
Really dangerous if true. @ImranKhanPTI @SirajOfficial https://t.co/L0bJBWCgcB
— Ansar Abbasi (@AnsarAAbbasi) June 29, 2017
Everyone had the same question in mind: are we leaning towards supporting the LGBTQ community?
New logo of KP Elementary and secondary education. My question from @AtifKhanpti is that are we going towards LGBT in our education system? pic.twitter.com/JmcBrnBfX2
— M Abid khan Atozai (@AbidAtozai) June 29, 2017
The backlash made the KP Education Department tweet out several clarifications about their logo
The life of our children will remain as colorful as this logo and no propaganda can stop our children from shining bright as the Sun pic.twitter.com/L512sRficR
— KPESE (@EducationKP) June 29, 2017
They believed that the backlash against the new KP logo was baseless propaganda
These books photos circulating on social media is not in anyway connected to our department. This baseless propaganda should stop. Shameful pic.twitter.com/3cS1H10jxD
— KPESE (@EducationKP) June 29, 2017
As news caught on, others stepped in to defend the logo as well
Guys, There is this propaganda being done on fb against KPK Education that it has vulgar content in books. It's all a Lie pic.twitter.com/9Z51eHemDm
— Farhan K Virk (@FarhanKVirk) June 29, 2017
Some people actually asked some pretty valid questions
Then what do u think about ,hum TV logo ,Punjab TV logo , pic.twitter.com/s5Ieaj4Jd8
— M Nawaz (@mnawaz111986) July 1, 2017
And some called the entire situation a non-issue
Amusing non-issue, especially since a lot of brands in Pakistan have rainbow logos. https://t.co/aFXRnZQ8zk
— Nadia Naviwala (@NadiaNavi) June 30, 2017
Whereas some believed that changing the logo would solve the entire issue altogether
Change the logo. Better to leave no room for suspicion
— Sara Zia (@DrSaraZia) June 29, 2017
While it’s pretty evident that the new KP logo is three colors short of resembling the actual LGBTQ flag, many seem to legitimately believe that it symbolizes an underlying support for the LGBTQ community. Clarifications being offered by the KP Education Department aren’t being fully accepted either. What do you think about the new logo? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.