Claims that Burj Khalifa did not display Pakistan's flag on August 14 are false

Context

World's tallest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is known to host displays to commemorate special occasions such as national holidays. The neighboring countries of Pakistan and India recently celebrated their independence day anniversaries on August 14 and 15, respectively, and several social media users have claimed that while the Tricolor was displayed on August 15, Burj Khalifa refused to host Pakistan's flag on August 14.   

One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: "Burj Khalifa refused to display Pakistan's flag this year. Thank You UAE. This is really the prank of the year #14thAugustBlackDay." The post, which had over 846,000 views at the time of publishing, also shared a video of Burj Khalifa around which many people had gathered. The video seems to have been recorded by someone who doesn't appear before the camera but can be heard saying: "The time is 12:01 am now, but the Dubai officials have said that Pakistan's national flag won't be displayed on Burj Khalifa. And it will not be visible. This is our status now. Pakistan's population is raising slogans here, but the Pakistan flag has not been displayed on Burj Khalifa. Pakistan's flag photo was not hosted on Burj Khalifa. So sad. Pakistanis have been pranked (translated from Hindi)." This video was shared by several social media users who claimed that Pakistan was snubbed by Burj Khalifa, which refused to host the country's flag on August 14. The archive post can be found here, here and here. 

Screengrab of the claims made online (Source: X/@miryar_baloch, @DeewanPreem, @Budget2023)

However, claims that the Pakistan flag was not displayed on Burj Khalifa at all this year are false. 

In fact

Research by Logically Facts showed that Burj Khalifa projected flags of India and Pakistan on their respective independence day anniversaries. However, the Pakistan flag was not displayed at 12 midnight, which led to rumors that the flag was not displayed at all. According to the official account of Burj Khalifa on Instagram, the flag was displayed at 7.50 pm on August 14. 

Sharing a video of Pakistan's flag illuminated on the skyscraper, Burj Khalifa's official Isntagram account wrote: "#BurjKhalifa 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!" When Logically Facts checked the clip on August 21, the Instagram details said that the video was shared "7 days ago," i.e. on August 14. 

Responding to a query by a user, Burj Khalifa's Instagram account also clarified that Pakistan's flag "was displayed yesterday(August 14) at 7:50 pm."

Screengrabs of Burj Khalifa’s Instagram post and response to a user 
(Source: Instagram/burjkhalifa)

A video shared by UAE-based news outlet Gulf Today on Facebook on August 14 also showed Burj Khalifa displaying Pakistan's flag. The video caption read, "Dubai's Burj Khalifa marks Pakistan's Independence Day." 

A report by Daily Pakistan also shared a video of the world's tallest edifice lit up with Pakistan's flag. The report noted that several Pakistanis had expressed anguish over the landmark not displaying their country's flag at midnight on the intervening night of August 13 and 14. "After much delay, Burj Khalifa lit up in white and green to honor the Independence Day of the South Asian nation," it further read.

The verdict

Burj Khalifa displayed Pakistan's flag on its Independence Day, albeit not at midnight, in the evening. Therefore, the claim that the country's flag was not displayed on August 14 at all is false.