Sindh govt substances to HEC advisory 'banning' Holi festivities
The HEC had come under fire after Dr Sohail issued the letter to varsities nationwide in apparent reaction to Holi celebrations organized at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in Punjab on June 13.
Around 100 Hindu students are enrolled at QUA, which was recently closed for nearly 90 days over clashes between two student councils. Approximately 3,000 students from the varsity and other universities across Islamabad attended the celebrations.
The controlling body clarified that it has not banned the celebration of any celebrations as is being implied in backlash received on social media. The statement specified that HEC was only emphasizing the country’s varsities to “focus upon the core reason of their existence, i.e, academic excellence, research quality and harnessing the talent of the youth towards a structured, disciplined, and responsible citizen as per the nation’s ideology”.
The HEC withdrew its letter, and the Sindh government issued a statement opposing “the ban imposed by the HEC on celebrating the Hindu religious festival Holi in universities across the country”.
Taking strong exception to the HEC’s advisory letter, the provincial government declared the move “against Islamic religious tolerance”.
“This decision of HEC will cause more intolerance and division in the society,” said Sindh Universities and Boards Minister Muhammad Ismail Rahoo. "Sindh has been the guardian of the unique traditions of religious tolerance for centuries."
Pakistani law does not empower any individual or institution to prevent citizens of other faiths from celebrating their religious and cultural festivals.
The Event was organized by the Mehran Students Council (MSC) at QAU. Five other student councils, including Punjab Students Council, Pashtoon Students Council, Siraiki Students Council, Baloch Students Council, and Gilgit Student Council, participated in the festival hosted in the parking area located between International Relations and Anthropology departments.