Pak Foreign Ministry Summons India's Charge d'Affaires, Expresses Concern Over Hijab Row

The Indian diplomat was conveyed Pakistan's deep concern over alleged religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatisation and discrimination against Muslims in India.

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New Delhi: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed the government's grave concern on the ban on Muslim girl students from wearing hijab in Karnataka to India's Charge d'Affaires. 

According to a PTI report, the Foreign Office said in a statement late on Wednesday that the Indian diplomat was conveyed Pakistan's deep concern over alleged religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatisation and discrimination against Muslims in India.

The statement emphasised that the Indian government must hold the perpetrators of harassment against women in Karnataka to account and take adequate measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Muslim women, the statement said.

The Foreign Office statement came after Pakistan's senior ministers waded into the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka on Wednesday, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi saying that depriving Muslim girls of education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Hussain said what was going on in India was worrying and emphasised that wearing hijab is a personal choice just as any other dress and citizens must be given free choice.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi while reacting to the tweets of Pakistan's ministers said on Wednesday in New Delhi that some people are giving "communal colour" to a decision on dress code and discipline of institutions as part of their "conspiracy to defame India's inclusive culture".

Naqvi also shot back saying Pakistan, which is a "jungle of crime and cruelty" for minorities, is preaching India on tolerance and secularism.

The reality is that the socio-educational-religious rights of minorities are being trampled brazenly in Pakistan, Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi according to PTI. He asserted, equal rights, dignity and prosperity of the minorities, including Muslims, is a part of India's commitment to tolerance, harmony and inclusivity.

Protests began in the state after some students were allegedly denied entry to a college in Udupi wearing hijab (a headscarf worn by Muslim women) on February 4.

A circular was released by the pre-University education board stating that students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. The students opposed the decision and began protests on the campus.

Minister from India to have commented on the events that have unfolded, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has condemned the entire incident saying it is a grave violation of the Constitution's Articles 15, 19 and 21 are being committed in Karnataka. Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday took to Twitter to express her displeasure over the incident and said that whatever a woman wants to wear is guaranteed by the Constitution of India.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala urged students not to fall prey to the design of fanatics and reject the agenda of hate. In an open letter to students and parents, he said they should not let the self-serving rhetoric of the 1 per cent of fanatics on either side sacrifice their future.

"Let's reject this agenda of hate and continue being friends, holding hands and walking together for a better future," he said in his letter, wishing a bright future for the students.

Nobel Peace laureate and women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday said refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, the activist said, “Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women