Senators on Friday condemned the Hijab ban in India and subsequent efforts by the Hindutva mob to curb freedom of expression. They also hailed the girl, who stood in front of a mob to defend her hijab in a college in Karnataka, for her bravery and protest for freedom of expression.
Muskan Khan, the hijab-clad student, on Tuesday, was heckled and jeered at by a mob of Hindutva supporters when she continued walking towards her college building to submit an assignment. The men were chanting "jai shri ram", promoting her to retaliate with “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest). The video of the incident soon went viral on social media, with people expressing concern over the prevailing situation in India.
“She [Muskan Khan] proved [that] if you are on the right side no one can stop you. She chanted Naar-e-Takbeer and stood against bigots,” Leader of House Shahzad Waseem said in his speech during the Senate session, which was presided over by Chairmperson Sadiq Sanjrani.
Lamenting the prevailing situation in India, Waseem alleged that our neighbours have reached the height of fanaticism and religious hatred. "Violation of human rights is at its height.”
Such a situation raises many questions, he said and asked: “Where are those organisations that talk about rights, where are the organisations that care for a dog at the street and raise voice for lonely elephants.”
The leader of the house questioned the “silence” of human rights bodies over the incident.
Waseem linked the incident to the recent “wave of Islamophobia” in the world, saying that the latest trend of the phenomenon was seen in India.
“We must thank Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who had predicted such situations ahead of his time. Because of his [Jinnah’s] efforts and sacrifices we have our rights. We should work together,” he added.
The Karnataka college incident has drawn widespread criticism, with people from both sides of the border and the world have expressed concerns over rising hatred and religious intolerance in the country.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also condemned the incident and shared the law about religious freedom, which was respected in every part of the world.
“We condemn this [Karnataka college incident],” she said, “We should also practice right to freedom in [our] country if we condemn others. No one should be forced to wear a hijab. Freedom of expression is freedom of expression and it cannot be one-sided.”
She further lamented the Indian court ruling on the hijab ban, saying that such decisions show rising Hindutva hatred in the country.
Sherry also discussed Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s recent statements in the House. “PM Imran said America has always used us and FM Qureshi said Russia tour does not challenge the US,” she said, wondering why Pakistan’s foreign policy was the victim of such “confusion and chaos”.
She added that the premier’s statement was a policy statement. To this, the leader of the house said the country has a stated foreign policy and that the country was not part of any camp. “Pakistan wants good relations with every country in the world,” he said and quoted US State Department spokesperson's comments that “our ties with Pakistan are strategic.”
Waseem took a jibe at the opposition by saying that after so many years PM Imran was the only prime minister to be invited by the Russian president to visit the country.
Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed also condemned the Karnataka incident. “The reality is Musqan Khan is the Ummah’s lioness,” he said and hailed the girl for her bravery.
“Meysor was the old name of Karnataka and she [Muskan] made Sultan Tipu proud by her defiance. Jinnah’s two-nation theory has been proven correct,” he added.
