By: Ahmad Noorani
ISLAMABAD: The situation in Pakistan has apparently become worse than France for those wearing veil. The country’s electronic media is almost completely blacking out a disturbing news from Peshawar where a female medical student was humiliated by her professor for refusing to remove her veil.
The girl, a first-year medical student in the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar (KMCP), after being humiliated and tortured by one of her professors, had to address a press conference on Wednesday to convince the print media to highlight the issue as most of the electronic media was avoiding the story for unknown fears or reasons.
The KPK government authorities have launched a probe into the incident that has shocked many in the province as KP is a religious but moderate province where all views are well tolerated. The student has accused a teacher of roughing her up following a heated argument over veiling herself in the classroom.
The student to the press conference that she had been covering her face ever since she got admission to the college.
She was elected girls’ representative recently and soon after her election she was ordered by her professor not to wear veil in the classroom from the next morning.
She alleged that the teacher also criticised women covering their faces with a veil saying he would not even allow his wife and daughter to wear veil. “He (teacher) also made derogatory remarks about the veil. I strongly reacted to the remarks and told him that it’s a student’s right whether or not to veil herself and that no one can force her into doing so. After that, he slapped and kicked me,” she is quoted as stating before the press. She also accused the teacher of harassing her. “I got admission to the Khyber Medical College only because my parents wanted me to be familiar with the Pakhtun culture after spending years abroad,” she said.
She demanded strict action against the professor and others discouraging students to veil themselves on campus. “The action against the teacher, whose conduct is highly unbecoming, will help students get education in a harassment-free environment,” she said.
The student said she would continue the struggle for justice. She demanded political rulers to probe the whole issue through a commission not having any representation from KMC so that she could get justice.
