Sir: As academics and educators, as women’s rights activists, and as Pakistanis, we are appalled at the appointment of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani as the Federal Minister of Education. This appointment, following so closely on the heels of the appointment of Israrullah Zehri as federal minister, aligns the Pakistan People’s Party with the forces of misogyny and violence in Pakistani society. Appointments such as these dishonour the legacy of Benazir Bhutto. It is a sad state of affairs that the PPP, which has done much historically to advance women’s rights, has chosen such reprehensible men to join the cabinet. The PPP was elected by popular mandate to restore the dignity and rights of ordinary Pakistanis and the rule of law in the country. Appointments such as these, along with other examples of political opportunism, such as the refusal to restore the judiciary and halt the privatisation of national assets, threaten the government’s legitimacy and do serious damage to the PPP’s claim to be the party of the people. We condemn the appointments of Mr Bijarani and Mr Zehri, and call upon the government to remove them from the cabinet immediately.CONCERNED ACADEMICS OF PAKISTANVia email