PESHAWAR: A police official in Peshawar decided to impose a ban on music and dance during wedding ceremonies in areas falling under his jurisdiction earlier this week, saying such festivities were against religion and directing all residents to abide by his decision.
Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which is thought to be a conservative region of the country.
According to media reports, the provincial assembly speaker also asked traffic police recently to ban music in vehicles providing transport services to students of public and private education institutions.
“Yes, we have taken the decision [to ban music and dance at wedding parties],” Abdul Ali Khan, station house officer (SHO) at the Shahpur police station, told Arab News on Thursday. “You should ask yourself if these [music and dance] are good things.”
A resident of the area, Ulas Muhammad Zai, confirmed that the SHO had convened a meeting of local elders earlier this week and verbally instructed them to ban music and dance during wedding ceremonies.
“There are countless un-Islamic practices taking place in our society on a daily basis,” he said. “Police should adopt measures to curb those practices instead. They should let people mourn and celebrate their grief and joy according to their traditions.”
However, the SHO also found support among some community members.
Malik Roshan, another Shahpur resident, said he was present at the meeting and decided to support the ban.
“The police officer didn’t stop us from celebrating,” he continued. “He just directed people of the locality to celebrate their weddings within certain moral boundaries.”
Asked about the development, Peshawar's Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz Khan said no official notification had been issued which was binding on people, adding that the SHO had only taken the decision to ensure the security of his area.
The CCPO maintained the ban on dance parties during the wedding ceremonies was only to curb crimes, discourage the use of narcotics and prevent aerial firing.
“In the past, we have had precedents when these music and dance parties turned violent, ending up in armed clashes and putting people’s lives in danger,” he added. “The SHO imposed the ban from a security viewpoint, not an Islamic perspective.”
Commenting on the development, Qamar Naseem, a civil society activist, said the ban on entertainment programs was an arbitrary decision and a clear human rights violation.
He maintained if the police feared that criminals were forcing their ways into such gatherings, they should view it as an opportunity to apprehend such elements.
“Will we shut down the motorway if we observe a surge in accidents,” he said while giving an analogy. “Banning music is against law and the police official is clearly overstepping his authority here. The police are legally mandated to implement existing laws, not enact new ones.”