Chef de Mission can carry the flag: Pak CWG team manager

New Delhi, Oct 5 (PTI) Embroiled in an unnecessary
controversy, Pakistan CWG Chef de Mission Muhammad Ali Shah
Tuesday said he had done no wrong by carrying the flag at the
opening ceremony of the mega-event as an official from his
country had done the same in 1984 Olympics.
Shah asserted "there was no hard and fast rule" as to
who would do the honours.
Shah created a stir when he led the Pakistani contingent
during Sunday's gala opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru
stadium in the Indian capital,New Delhi, in place of
designated weightlifter Shuja-ud-Din Malik, a gold medalist in
the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
But Shah said it was a small misunderstanding which has
been cleared and the matter is a closed chapter now.
"The matter is over. It is not at all a serious matter.
It was a small misunderstanding and now everything has been
sorted out. Now we are looking forward to the Games," he said
at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here after Pakistan
defeated Scotland 3-0 in a men's hockey Pool A match.
"During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, our ex-Prime
Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali was the chef de mission and he
carried the national flag during the opening ceremony.
Actually, there is no hard and fast rule. It is a tradition
that athletes carry the flag but chef de missions can also
carry it," he added.
The unsavoury incident, however, did not go well with the
Pakistani people and has led to a massive outcry in the nation
which forced Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to
order an inquiry.
But when asked whether the controversy had affected the
Pakistani athletes, Shah said, "Not at all. All the athletes
are very happy."
Asked who will carry the Pakistan flag during the closing
ceremony of the Delhi Games, he said "It has not been decided
as yet. Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan will
decide it. But most probably one of the athletes who will
perform outstandingly here will do the honours." PTI