New Delhi: Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Thursday withdrew a notification that had banned Holi from being celebrated at a university, just a day after it received severe backlash for the move.
In a notice dated June 22, the HEC said that it is “highly respectful of all religions, faiths, and beliefs, and the associated festivals and celebrations observed in the country”.
Notably, the order came days after students of Quaid-i-Azam University celebrated Holi on the campus on June 12 and videos of the event went viral.
Salman Sufi, who heads the Pakistan Prime Ministers Strategic Reforms Unit, said Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain had asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to withdraw the notification. "Have spoken to Rana Tanveer sahib, and he has taken stern notice of the notification by the HEC on discouraging religious festivals and has asked them to withdraw it," tweeted Sufi.
Sindhi journalist Veengas tweeted, "HEC has regretted and withdrawn its earlier notification, which stated a ban on Holi in Universities in Pakistan. But question is will they hold a person accountable for issuing hateful notice?"
Earlier, the HEC in its letter claimed that the "widely reported/ publicised" event of the celebration of Holi by the platform of a university had "caused concern and disadvantageously affected the country's image".
"Unfortunately, it is sad to witness activities that portray a complete disconnect from our socio-cultural values and an erosion of the country's Islamic identity," it stated.
In one of the videos circulating on social media, students can be seen dancing and throwing colours in the air as loud music plays in the background.
The letter advised HEIs to "prudently distance" themselves from all such activities "obviously incompatible with the country's identity and societal values".
Reacting to the notice banning Holi, Former Dawn editor Abbas Nasir said, "HEC should focus on plagiarised papers by PhDs as those actually tarnish the country's image. Holi and other such festivals enhance the country's image, create a mirage of pluralism."
Activist Ammar Ali Jan said the commission should be more concerned about the "dismal state of education" in Pakistan.
"Our universities are not even ranked in the top 1,000. Yet, HEC is more worried about students celebrating Holi. Such misplaced priorities are the reason for the intellectual/moral decay we see in society," he said.
