The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has distributed burqas among female students in a girls’ model school in Cheena village of Rustam Valley.
According to pictures circulating on the social media, the authorities with the help of funds provided by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former district council member, Muzaffar Shah, distributed 69 burqas among students in the girls school.
The development has come after the provincial government decided to make it mandatory for female students of government-run schools to cover themselves up in educational institutions with an abaya, gown or chador for protection against “unethical incidents” — harassment.
Pushing society towards Stone Ages. Haripur District Education Officer orders girl students of schools to wear abaya (a kind of burqa) for protection, yes protection, from unethical incident. Rein in sexual predators instead of such gimmicks you dumbs pic.twitter.com/hVk6IepRVF
— Mubarak Ali (@mubarak74) September 14, 2019
But after facing widespread public criticism the KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed the authorities to withdraw the mandatory burqa order.
KP Government doesn’t believe in compulsion, and citizens are free to decide what’s best for them. The notification circulating regarding compulsion of Abaya for the girls is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect#KPKUpdates pic.twitter.com/1LhhwEX33V
— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 16, 2019
