17th September, 2019
Authorities in North-Western Pakistan on Tuesday withdrew an order stipulating that schoolgirls must wear hijab after opposition from civil society and outcry on social media.
The government in the conservative province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, issued an order earlier, asking schools to make sure that girls cover their bodies with burqa or hijab, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The Provincial Education Minister, Ziaullah Bangash, said the decision was taken to safeguard girls against sexual harassment and make sure they look modest.
“We want girls to feel safe and parents reassured, defending the order before it was withdrawn on Tuesday. Rights activists, civil society members, and social media users called the move oppressing and a reminder of Taliban rule,’’ he said.
Parts of the province, which is close to Afghanistan border, were for years ruled by the Pakistani Taliban, who blew up hundreds of girls’ schools. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the same province where Taliban militants attacked Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai when she was a schoolgirl.
However, the party of Prime Minister Imran Khan now rules the province.
Taimur Kamal, a rights activist from the province said, “I feel so relieved that this oppressing order is withdrawn.
“It would have been horrible to force young girls to wear hijab’’.
The move comes days after a Pakistani university run by the country’s navy ordered the segregation of male and female students in the classrooms and on the campus in a move that drew criticism.