Guwahati: The wearing of the hijab is mandatory for female students and professors in co-educational institutions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Hijab wear was mandated in PoK by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government.
The PoK government has warned that if the directive is broken, the institution’s leader will be subject to punishment.
Meanwhile, regional media outlets have attacked the government’s decision.
Mariana Baabar took to Twitter to stress that women should be given a choice. She said, “AJK government has made it mandatory for female students and teachers to wear the hijab in mixed-gender educational institutions, a circular issued on Monday stated. #give women a choice #stop dictating to women and men.”
On the other hand, Murtaza Solangi compared the decision with that of the Taliban. He said, “First Afghan Taliban broke the ‘shackles of slavery’, as declared by Taliban Khan and now his great deputy, the PM of AJK, has broken the shackles of slavery.”
The ban on the hijab in India sparked widespread protests and debate in 2022.
The hijab protests started in January at the Government Ladies PU College in Udupi, Karnataka, after six students claimed they had been expelled for insisting on wearing the headscarf to class. Also, the students who were wearing saffron scarves confronted the Muslim students who were yelling “Jai Shri Ram” at them. In order to keep the two groups of pupils apart, the school administration stepped in.
The hijab prohibition implemented in a few of the state’s junior colleges infuriated students in Karnataka. A uniform dress code for pupils had been announced by the state’s education department and administration to guarantee uniformity in educational settings.