Ministry of Religious Affairs Accused of Gender Bias in Rejection of Female Haj Director General
Pakistan’s National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) criticized the Ministry of Religious Affairs for allegedly rejecting the highest-scoring candidate, Saima Sabah, for the position of Haj Director General due to her gender.
The NCHR noted that there were no eligibility criteria excluding women and pointed out that a woman had previously served as Saudi Arabia’s Haj Director General. Sabah filed a petition in December with the Islamabad High Court after being rejected, claiming that Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor made “strange” remarks against her on the basis of her gender during the interview process.
An audio clip allegedly from the interview surfaced on social media, in which Shakoor is heard questioning Sabah about wearing hijab.
Shakoor has denied the allegations, saying the audio clip was edited. He said he would accept the decision of the court, which reserved its decision on Sabah’s appeal last week.
Girl shot dead over marriage issue
18-year-old girl murdered in Lahore over marriage disagreement. The accused, Ahsan, had a grudge against the victim after her parents rejected his marriage proposal.
On the day of the incident, Ahsan went to the victim’s beauty parlor and shot her, then attempted to take his own life. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The victim was running the beauty parlor with her mother. Her body has been transferred to the morgue.
Strike of lawyers in courts
The Lahore Bar Association boycotted the courts over the murder of Aslam Joya advocate in Kasur.