Screengrab of the Holi celebration at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday urged varsities to “distance themselves” from activities “incompatible with the country’s identity and societal values” while referring to the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi at a university in Islamabad.
Penned by HEC Executive Director Shaista Sohail, and addressed to the vice-chancellors and heads of institutions, the letter “on campus celebrations of events and festivals” claimed the Holi celebrations had “caused concern,” and “disadvantageously affected the country’s image.” Describing as “sad” activities that “portray a complete disconnect from our sociocultural values and an erosion of the country’s Islamic identity,” it “advised” higher education institutions to “distance themselves from all such activities obviously incompatible with the country’s identity and societal values.”
Instead, it said, students and faculty should be directed toward academic pursuits, intellectual debates, and cognitive learning” while also “identifying, creating, and fostering avenues for extracurricular activities and rational discourse.”
Maintaining that higher education institutions were responsible for disseminating knowledge, the letter said they were essential for transforming the youth into “cultured individuals” while also creating a workforce with a skill set in accordance with the country’s needs. The varsities, it said, had the “ultimate responsibility to polish and nurture the exuberance of youth into learned, mature, and responsible citizens—ready to take on the reins of the country and play their role in nation building.”
In this regard, it said, both public and private sector institutions were relied upon to “groom our youth into compassionate, discerning and refined individuals able to walk through life avoiding obvious pitfalls.” It claimed the HEC had been formulating its policies based on the concepts “embodied in our own culture, values and traditions, thus preserving the nation’s ideology.”
The letter did not identify the Quaid-e-Azam University by name, but it is the only varsity to have attracted any controversy over the celebration of Holi. Videos of the event, which took place in March, only went public last week, gaining praise and condemnations in equal measure on social media. In one such video, students were seen dancing and throwing colored powder in the air as loud music plays in the background. In another, students could be seen throwing colored powder on each other while posing for pictures.
The HEC letter claimed there was “no denying the fact that cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity leads towards an inclusive and tolerant society, that profoundly respects all faiths, and creeds,” but claimed this needed to be done “in a measured manner without going overboard.” It also, without clarification, suggested the students should be apprised of “self-serving vested interests” who could utilize them for their own ends.
The letter has since gone viral on social media, attracting severe criticism from Pakistani citizens, who have questioned how students at a single varsity having a fun time is cause for “concern.” Referring to the language of the letter, they have also lamented that it seeks to ‘other’ the Hindu minority, rubbishing its own claims of seeking an “inclusive and tolerant” society.