Daily Times

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly Wednesday was stuck in a state of confusion after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Nabila Hakim Ali Khan submitted a resolution endorsing government’s proposal to make hijab mandatory in educational institutions but withdrew it minutes later. The resolution had reportedly called for making the hijab mandatory for women at the college level all over Punjab.

According to reports, Nabila Hakim Ali presented a resolution calling for mandatory hijab for women at the college level across the province, but then withdrew the resolution citing a “clerical error”. She mentioned her stance was that “hijab should not be made mandatory for women”. She said the students should not be tempted by offering extra marks for hijab. However, she submitted the resolution in Punjab Assembly secretariat claiming the hijab should not be made mandatory for women in educational institutions.

The Punjab Assembly session on Wednesday was started one hour 18 minutes late to its scheduled time. Provincial ministers Sher Ali Khan and Chaudhary Shafique replied to the questions of the legislators on agenda relating to special education and energy.

Later, more than 18 legislators participated in pre-budget speech raising different issues relating to education, health, clean water, pollution, agriculture, sewerage, road infrastructures.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Punjab government reversed a decision to make hijab mandatory for girls in colleges, hours after Punjab Higher Education Minister Raza Ali Gillani stated that hijab should be part of the dress code for college girls.

The higher education minister at a meeting of the Higher Education Department at the Committee Room of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore on Tuesday had proposed that college girls wearing hijab be given five percent attendance relaxation.

“We want to give an incentive to girls for wearing hijab,” said the minister during the meeting, adding that the measure was aimed at promoting hijab-culture in Punjab. However, a spokesman for the provincial government Tuesday clarified that no such decision had been taken or was being considered by the provincial government.

The Punjab government issued a press note asking the print and electronic media not to broadcast or publish any such news after it was severely criticised online by politicians and rights activists.