Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, once again comes to the limelight for gender discrimination.
Mufti Abdul Shakoor has been blocking the appointment of a female officer to the position of director-general for the Hajj for the past three months. He also made it difficult for female ministry and other department assistants to perform the Hajj in 2022.
After these obstacles and a formal complaint from officer Saima Saleh from the religious affairs ministry and nine other women to the federal ombudsman, the office rejected the minister’s opinion. Instead, it determined that Article 25 of the Pakistani Constitution guarantees women full rights.
Following the decision, the minister was required to include two female officers and one female stenographer on the Hajj mission as the federal ombudsman had issued an order allowing the same, per past practice and the Saudi Arabian government’s policy regarding the Hajj and Umrah.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) joined the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government in the Centre, Maulana Abdul Shakoor, who assumed the ministry’s office last April, projected the discriminatory attitude toward women working within the ministry.
The officer above Saima and other females complained almost two months after he was chosen as the minister that they were denied the opportunity to serve on Hajj duty because of their gender.
In contrast, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s constitutions guarantee equal rights without gender discrimination and permit women to serve in government positions.
Despite the federal ombudsman’s decision, only three women were permitted to travel on the Hajj mission with the minister. Moreover, Maulana Shakoor did not permit the women from some other ministries to join the Hajj mission, even though they were chosen as assistants after appearing on a ballot.
As a result, the case was brought before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). However, the ministry argued that it is the only institution qualified to select a candidate for an assistant position and that the prohibition on sending candidates whose names are not on the ballot still applies.
The religious official countered that he had no problem with women performing Hajj last year; rather, his concern was with them going without a Mahram (male guardian).
The minister stated, “The objection was raised because it is not permissible for women to go alone on a religious journey. In contrast, the shariah does not restrict having a job or providing services.
Abdul Shakoor allegedly opposed hiring a female officer last week for the ministry’s open director and director-general Hajj positions.
In the wake of the incident, a supposedly authentic audio recording of Maulana Shakoor and the female candidate was made public. In it, the minister is heard enquiring about the significance of a dupatta to the candidate. In addition, he questioned her on why she chose not to wear a dupatta and the reaction it might cause in other nations.
The female candidate accused the minister of secretly recording the interview, and he promised to launch an investigation. However, Mufti Shakoor claimed, “The audio has been presented in a distorted way.”.
The Islamabad High Court also hears a petition opposing the alleged gender discrimination case.
The news feed is taken from GEO News
