Pakistan pokes its nose into hijab row, peddles its agenda

With the hijab and saffron row simmering in the country's southern state, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has again jumped into India's internal affairs and stated that the Muslim girls are deprived of an education.  Quershi also tried to draw the global leadership's attention towards the raging issue, which had begun in Karnataka's Udupi and spread to Chikmagalur.   

In a tweet, the Pakistani foreign minister said, "Depriving Muslim girls of education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. To deny anyone this fundamental right and terrorise them for wearing a hijab is absolutely oppressive." "World must realise this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims," he added.

Earlier, the Pakistani information and broadcasting minister Fawad Chaudhry had termed the incident as "terrifying".  "Indian Society is declining with super speed under unstable leadership. Wearing hijab is a personal choice just as any other dress citizens must be given a free choice," he had said in a tweet.

The controversy over it erupted after the Muslim women wearing hijab attended classes at Women's Pre-University Colleges in Udupi on January 1, 2022. In protest, the Hindu students started wearing saffron scarves.  The leaders of Congress and the BJP have entered into a verbal duel, accusing each other of playing politics on the issue. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan-born activist and Noble laureate Malala Yusufzai said, "Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women."

Also Read | Malala Yousafzai trolled for hijab remark, Twitter quotes excerpts from her book

Also Read | Karnataka Hijab row: What women across India think about this

Also Read | Karnataka Hijab row: Girl hounded by mob with saffron scarves at Mandya college

• Muslim
• Pakistan
• Shah Mehmood Qureshi
• hijab
• hijab row
• Karnataka