The Red Fort with the Tricolour was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens during an event in Beijing to welcome India and Pakistan into the SCO fold.

A reception held by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its Beijing headquarters, highlighting the entry of India and Pakistan, turned out to be an embarrassment for the organisers as India’s Red Fort with the Tricolour was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Gardens in the Pakistani tableau.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, India's Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale, Ambassador of Pakistan Masood Khalid and other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members were present at the function.

Both the Indian and Pakistani diplomats pointed out the faux pas to the organisers.

SCO officials were apologetic about the gaffe, saying they failed to cross check the photos on display as this was the first event involving India and Pakistan.

On June 16, the SCO headquarters will raise the flags of India and Pakistan and Mr. Gokhale and Mr. Khalid will beat a drum, heralding the entry of their countries into the organisation.

India and Pakistan were admitted as members into the six-member grouping at the Astana Summit last week.

The group now comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have an observer status in the grouping that is increasingly seen as a counterweight to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).