Pakistan | School dance, anyone? Punjabi lawmakers seek ban

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 yesterday 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.

Categories Asia-Pacific