The government of Punjab’s official Twitter account on Tuesday denied the reports regarding Punjab Higher Eductaion Minister Raza Ali Gillani’s announcement that women wearing hijaab will receive five extra marks in public colleges.
The statement was criticised heavily by PPP leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and many others on Twitter.
Although the reports have now been denied, an earlier handout released by Directorate General of Public Relations, Punjab, said that hijaab would be made compulsory in public colleges and an advantage of 5% would be granted to such students in case their attendance was below 65%.
In a tweet, government of Punjab termed the news “absolutely wrong.”
“No such policy announced by Government of the Punjab”, the tweet said.
Punjab government later released another handout denying the reports and clarifying that no decision has been made to make hijaab compulsory in colleges. The handout said four things categorically: No decision has been made to make hijaab compulsory in educational institutions, the report regarding compulsion of hijaab in Punjab s educational institutions is incorrect, no policy regarding making hijaab compulsory in Punjab, and it was never said that 5% extra marks would be given to the students wearing hijaab.