Minister Fawad Chaudhry, has denied the reports that the government has forced the PTV female news anchors to wear hijab.
Chaudhry’s tweet earlier this week came in response to a viral picture of the news anchor wearing the hijab during transmission. Fawad Chaudhry said, “Wearing a hijab or no hijab is a personal choice,” said Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry. “We cannot force any such dress code on our anchors and presenters.”
The minister responded to a viral tweet in which the Twitter user had said that the government has made hijab mandatory for the female anchors of PTV. The tweet had garnered both praise and criticism from social media users. Some appreciated the decision while others argued that government does not have the right to regulate the dress code for women.
Read more:Iqrar-ul-Hassan rebuts accusations of anti-Pakistan campaign
Maleeka Bokhari, a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, also said that the state cannot enforce a particular style of clothing on anyone. She expressed these views while commenting under the tweet by Fawad Chaudhry.
Absolutely. State cannot enforce a particular choice of clothing on anyone.
— Maleeka Ali Bokhari (@MalBokhari) August 18, 2021
There has been a significant debate going around the rights and safety of women in Pakistan. With the recent back-to-back incidents of sexual harassment against women, the government and civil society have been alarmed by the shocking state of decline in respect for women.
Read more: Punjab Police acts on another harassment case from Independence Day
Punjab Police has been working to arrest suspects from the Minar-e-Pakistan incident and another incident of a man harassing girls traveling in a Qingqi rickshaw.
Inspector General Punjab Police, Inam Ghani, has taken notice of another outrageous case of harassment of a girl on the eve of Independence Day in Lahore.
On Friday, a video of the few men riding motorbikes and harassing the girls who were traveling at the back of the Qingqi rickshaw had gone viral on social media. The video showed a man jumped on the rickshaw and tried to kiss the girl. While other men riding motorbikes laughed made videos of the women and catcalled the girls. The video showed none of them tried to stop or catch the man as she ran away.