The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Thursday reversed its notification issued earlier regarding celebrating ‘Holi’ event in universities, stating that the directive was presented inaccurately.
The HEC clarified that it respects the religious beliefs of various religions, individuals, and groups. The commission emphasized that it upholds the freedom to celebrate religious festivals.
The decision to withdraw the notification was made after it was discovered that the HEC’s directive had been misunderstood.
In a swift response to the concerns raised, the HEC decided to retract the notification. It was held necessary to rectify the situation due to the erroneous interpretation of the HEC’s message.
In the wake of the controversy surrounding the notification, Education Minister, Rana Tanveer Hussain, expressed dissatisfaction with the HEC’s notification stated that people strongly criticized the recent festival on social media which was held in the University premises.
He voiced his opinion that the HEC should not have issued such a notification in the first place. However, Rana Tanveer clarified that the ministry of education was not aware of any notification from the HEC.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the notice was taken seriously by the relevant authorities, and as a result, the notification has been withdrawn. He assured that the public that the HEC does not possess the authority to issue such notifications.