LAHORE: Pakistani lawmakers in a provincial assembly have voted in favor of a ban on dance parties at schools and other educational institutions, saying they promote Western culture.
Shaikh Ijaz, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party in Punjab, said on Thursday that the dance-ban resolution passed overwhelmingly in the Punjab Assembly the previous day without any opposition from secular, moderate or Islamic parties.
The resolution, however, is not binding but considered a recommendation to the government, which is being asked to "stop the vulgarity" in the province.
Ijaz says the motion followed parents' complaints that some schools organized mix-gender gatherings, which are prohibited in Islam.
The motion was criticized by many students who say a ban would deprive them of a right to participate in cultural events.
School dance, anyone? Pakistan lawmakers in Punjab seek ban
School dance, anyone? Pakistan lawmakers in Punjab seek ban
Islamabad says 2,000 Pakistani students evacuated from Iran amid Gulf war
- Pakistan has attempted to evacuate thousands of its nationals in Iran since its conflict with US, Israel began on Feb. 28
- Pakistani embassies, consulates in Iran working “round the clock” to provide emergency assistance, says minister
ISLAMABAD: Around 2,000 Pakistani students have been evacuated from Iran amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, federal minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said on Tuesday.
Thousands of Pakistani students study in educational institutions across Iran, which has been rocked by conflict since the US and Israel carried out coordinated strikes against it on Feb. 28. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel and US military bases in Gulf countries, and closed off the Strait of Hormuz through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supply passes.
Islamabad has attempted to repatriate its citizens fleeing Iran and other Gulf nations since the conflict began last month. Pakistan announced earlier this month it has designated Baku as an evacuation base for its citizens seeking safe transit amid the Iran conflict.
“The National Assembly was informed today that two thousand Pakistani students have been evacuated from Iran in view of the current tensions in the Middle East,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
The information was shared by Chaudhary, who is the federal minister for parliamentary affairs. Chaudhary was responding to a calling attention notice by lawmaker Natasha Daultana and others.
The minister said Pakistan’s embassy and consulates in Iran are working “round the clock” to provide all possible support and emergency assistance to Pakistani nationals.
While US President Donald Trump has said the war in Iran could end “very soon,” Tehran has said it is deploying projectiles in greater numbers, and with warheads weighing more than one ton.
Iran also launched new attacks on Tuesday at Gulf countries, with missile sirens sounding in Dubai and Bahrain early morning while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region. Kuwait’s National Guard said it had shot down six drones on Tuesday.
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24 percent higher than when the war started on Feb. 28.
