KARACHI, Oct 10: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has given an assurance that the three-day ban on women’s entry into the Karachi Zoo during the Eid holidays will be lifted from this year.

Talking to Dawn, the nazim acknowledged that there was no justification for refusing the entry of women during Eid and observed that women should be allowed to visit the zoo during the occasion.

He said he would talk to the people concerned and would do his utmost to lift the ban that has been accepted as a norm over the years.

Explaining the rationale behind the prohibition, Karachi Zoo Director Mansoor Qazi said that since there was a huge, unmanageable crowd during Eid, the restriction was imposed to prevent the harassment of women.

“On Eid, the zoo is frequented by men in large numbers, most of whom are daily-wagers who have no other source of recreation. The crowd is rowdy at times and the prohibition is only meant to avoid any untoward situation.

‘‘There is nothing discriminatory about it. In fact, the zoo administration’s pro-women policy is evident from the fact that there is an exclusive women’s day during the week,” he maintained, while adding that the prohibition on women’s entry during Eid had been in place for years.

He did not agree with the idea that the mammoth Eid crowd could be managed by the police or by restricting the entry to families only during Eid, as is being done at other city parks.