Karachi: Jamaat-e-Islami party has launched a campaign to make it compulsory for women in Pakistan to wear the Hijab (scarf) to cover their head and neck in public.
The women`s wing of the party has already held demonstrations in several cities demanding that the wearing of Hijab be made a part of the constitution and compulsory in Pakistan, and tomorrow the party will observe `Hijab Day`.
"Our society has been invaded by western values and women who wear the Hijab or Burqa are targeted as extremists and that is totally unfair," said Durdana Siddiqui, the Deputy General Secretary of the party`s women wing.
"We want to send a clear message to the anti-Hijab elements by observing this day that Hijab is not only part of our religious obligation but also a fundamental right and protective shield for women," she said.
The JI plans to distribute free head scarfs to working women in the markets and offices besides setting up stalls to sell Hijabs on subsidised rates and will also hold protests in different cities with the biggest one planned in Karachi.
Meanwhile, Sharmila Farooqi, a leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, made it clear that wearing Hijab should remain a personal decision for women.
"Lot of women wear the Hijab others don`t it should remain a matter of personal choice," she said.
PTI
