NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 21, 2013 (News 9 Live): In an apparent move to preserve the “Islamic character and reputation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Pakistan’s Higher Education Council (HEC) has banned the celebration of Holi and other Hindu holidays throughout the nation’s universities. The HEC’s directive was issued a few days after Quaid-i-Azam University students celebrated Holi on campus on June 12 and footage of the occasion went viral. The Commission declared in a notification that students are not allowed to observe this celebration in order to uphold “sociocultural values.”

The notice states that while it is unquestionable that cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity contributes to a society that is accepting and tolerant of people of all faiths and creeds, it must be done so moderately and without going too far. The students, according to the notification, need to be made aware of the self-serving entrenched interests that employ them for their own purposes outside of the critical thinking paradigm’s altruistic scope. The Commission observed that this highly reported/publicized event from the campus of a university has generated worry and has adversely harmed the country’s image, apparently in reference to Holi celebrations at Quaid-i-Azam University.

https://www.news9live.com/world/assault-on-hindu-holidays-pakistan-bans-holi-celebrations-in-universities-calling-it-erosion-of-islamic-identity-2187070

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