Islamabad : The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has called for immediate notice and action for combatting regressive propaganda against women and girls’ education.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the NCSW said that the state of girls’ education in Pakistan is critical, with 12 million girls out-of-school and only 52% completing primary education. “Despite the Prime Minister's declared Education Emergency and the recent series of conferences held by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) aimed at integrating a the voices of women and girls into the Emergency, it is deeply alarming to witness the unchecked spread of a viral video by cleric Hasan Iqbal Chishti actively discouraging parents from educating their daughters.”
Hassan Iqbal Chisti, a clerical singer known for his controversial devotional songs, released a video against girls’ education titled ‘pni Dhi Schoolo Hata Le,| Othy Dance Kardi Payi Ae’ (Take your daughter out-of-school, she is dancing there) which has amassed over 59,000 views in the last ten days. The NCSW vehemently condemned these actions by Hafiz Hasan Iqbal Chishti. "Such regressive propaganda not only undermines our efforts to empower women and girls but also poses a direct threat to their lives and future. Under Articles 504, 505, and 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code, these videos constitute clear violations that incite hatred and undermine the values of respect and dignity crucial to our societal fabric.
The NCSW demanded immediate and decisive action from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to swiftly investigate and initiate stringent legal proceeding leading to an actionable verdict against Hafiz Hasan Iqbal Chishti.
“It is unacceptable that such harmful content persists, especially during the Education Emergency declared by the Government of Pakistan. The NCSW demands authorities to explain delays in intervention and calls for immediate measures to prevent the dissemination of such damaging content that affects the status of women and girls in Pakistan. The future of our girls is at stake. The NCSW calls upon you to take immediate and decisive action.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also held a press conference against the incident. It took a strong exception to a series of videos being circulated on social media platforms in which right-wing clerics have urged parents to pull their daughters out of school on the grounds that schooling is associated with ‘obscenity’. In another video, certain clerics have denounced women’s use of mobile phones on similar grounds. The HRCP representatives said that the language used in these videos is not only derogatory but also abusive and potentially an incitement to violence.
"Such deep-seated misogyny must be curtailed at once. With an estimated 12 million girls out-of-school, widespread cultural restrictions on women’s mobility and an alarmingly high incidence of violence against women and girls, Pakistan cannot afford to give any space to derogatory and anti-women rhetoric. The state must urgently counter such narratives through strong and consistent public service messages that uphold girls’ right to education—as is their constitutionally protected right under Article 25A—as well as women’s digital rights more generally, said the press statement issued at the end of the press conference.