The photograph of a Pakistani girl sketching a map of her country’s flag was printed on the cover page of a booklet meant to promote Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Bihar’s Jamui district.

Jamui district magistrate (DM) Dharmendra Kumar has ordered a probe to ascertain how the photograph came to be printed on about 5,000 notebooks that were distributed among schoolchildren in December last.

The picture shows a smiling girl of about five sitting in a chair and drawing a flag of Pakistan on a lined notebook page that was then used for 'Swachh Jamui Swasth Jamui'. The photo was earlier used by UNICEF in Pakistan to spread awareness about the importance of educating girls, said the officials.

“It is a grave error, and it was not spotted earlier. The proposal to print the notebooks was approved by then district magistrate Dr Kaushal Kishore,” said Sudhir Kumar, the district coordinator of ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign.

The blame game has already begun.

A Patna-based printing press, Suprav Enterprises, had printed the said booklets and claims that there was prior approval from the district administration to use the picture.