New Delhi: Pakistani students celebrating Holi with enthusiasm and exuberance at a college campus earlier this month has not gone down well with the government’s education authorities who fear that it will “erode the Islamic identity” of the nation. Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission has now banned the festival over concerns of “the fervor” exhibited during Holi celebrations. The directive was issued after a video of students celebrating Holi on the campus of Quaid-e-Azam university in Islamabad went viral on social media.
Captioned ‘Biggest Holi celebration in Pakistan’, the clip showed hundreds of students dancing and smearing each other with colour. The celebrations were delayed as the campus opened after two months. And while everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, the education commission was not amused.
“Such activities portray a complete disconnect from the country’s socio-cultural values and are an erosion of the country’s Islamic identity,” it said in the notice. It also took umbrage over the fact that the event was widely reported and publicised.
But QUA has been hosting Holi events for several years for its minority Hindu students, mainly from Sindh. The event was organised by the university’s nonpartisan cultural group, the Mehran Students’ Council. The council’s general secretary, Bisharat Ali, called the commission’s notice a reflection of the growing lack of tolerance.
“We seek to promote our cultural diversity and share happiness through colours. Everyone participates in the celebration, not just Sindhis but those from Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Punjab as well. There are around 100 Hindu students in the campus. This celebration was our gift to them,” he told ThePrint.
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Campus politics
The shift in view reportedly took place last year with a change of guard and a new vice-chancellor. Under the previous vice-chancellor, the college celebrated not just Holi but also Christmas.
Students faced several hurdles while organsing Holi. During the event, guards were sent to dismiss them from the campus. “We knew that we would get a notice from authorities,” said Ali. But a notice from the HEC has taken students aback.
“Every university is affiliated to the body and no student would risk their career over this,” he added. “This is a violation of basic fundamental rights. It is a human right. The notification reflects university policies and administration politics. It is one-sided and we will protest against this.”
Student bodies from other colleges are worried about what they say is a rather extreme reaction to a celebratory function. There are fears that it will generate more extremism.
“HEC’S notification shows that there is very little space for religious minorities in Pakistan. Statements like these lead to religious minorities feeling unsafe and lead to more religious extremism. If we as Muslim majorities can celebrate our festivals, why can’t they?” said human rights lawyer Haider Butt who is the vice-president of the Lahore-based student body, Haqooq e Khalq.
Dr. Taimur Rahman, activist and professor at the LUMS University in Lahore, questioned the HEC’s notification and the validity of such bans.
“Celebrating cross cultural festivals builds interfaith harmony. The government needs to focus on countering extremism, which is a real threat to our security, rather than worrying about a group of students participating in interfaith cultural activities,” he said.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)