KARACHI, May 1: Parents and administration of a private girls' school on Monday strongly protested against the “forced unveiling” of female students during SSC-II Islamiat paper by male examination staff at their exam centre and urged the apex courts, federal and provincial authorities to take notice of the unlawful, immoral and non-Islamic act.

In a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan, president, prime minister and other federal and provincial authorities, the principal of NED Foundation School Karachi, Dr Jasim Ahmed Siddiqui, said that despite prior intimation and request to the BSEK authorities about deployment of only female teachers at the exam centres, male staff was deployed that forced female students to put off their veils, Hijabs and scarves.

“The same incident had happened last year and this year, we approached the BSEK authorities and urged them to deploy only female exam staff. But again the female students appearing in SSC-II Islamiat exams were forced by the male staff to unveil themselves and threatened they would not be allowed to appear in the exams otherwise” Dr Siddiqui deplored.

He said the incident took place at the KMA School Kharadar Karachi, where students of his institute went to take the exams and added his school administration had also intimated police and Saddar Town administration against this illegal act but no action was taken.

“Being citizens of an Islamic state, it is the basic right of female students to remain in veil and hide themselves in presence of males.

We have no objection on unveiling of female students in front of females but forcing young girls to put off their veils by male teachers is unacceptable” he argued.

He requested the authorities concerned to take notice of the illegal, non-Islamic and immoral act of male exam staff at KMA School and demanded of the authorities to take appropriate measures so that the incident was not repeated in the future.

Dr Siddiqui also appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan and chief justice of the Sindh High Court to consider his letter as a constitutional petition and order an inquiry into the unlawful act.

Meanwhile, parents of female students who were asked to put off their veils and chadars by male exam staff also condemned the act and demanded of the government as well as the judiciary to take steps against the exam staff of the said school.—PPI