Private schools threatened in Mastung against “western-style” uniform

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: An underground religious group, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, has threatened to attack all private schools in Mastung district of Balochistan if they did not replace the existing “western-style” uniform with Shalwar Kameez.

Reports coming from Mastung District suggest that an underground religious group identified as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen has distributed leaflets among all private schools of the district demanding the replacement of current uniform which comprises of paint, shirt and tie, with the local dress of Shalwar Kameez.

The issued warning gave an ultimatum of two days to the schools to stop children from wearing paints, shirts and ties. Likewise, the female students have been instructed to observe full Islamic Hijab. The school administrations have been instructed to officially change their dress code till the Eid but they should also make sure that children wear their local dress and girls observe proper Islamic dress.

In case of not abiding by the threats issued to the schools, the organizations warned of “horrifying consequences”.

The heads of different private schools said they had already informed the district government about the fresh threats they were receiving.

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is a new organization which does not have a history of previous operations in Balochistan. Likewise, threats from religious organizations are a very new phenomenon in Mastung, a Baloch district, where nationalists have had a strong hold over the years.