Pakistan’s Punjab bans dance performances by school students

All government and private schools in Punjab province of Pakistan have been asked to ban dance performances by students. According to a report on Pakistan-based Dawn, the ban has been imposed on performances by students on occasions like parents day and teachers day, among other programmes held in schools.

The report said that the education department of the province would cancel the licence of schools that allow the students to participate in dance performances. A senior government official was quoted as saying that the order was issued after complaints that children were made to perform on Indian and Pakistani songs during events in schools.

In 2016, another attempt was made to ban dance performances as well as classes in Sindh by members of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said the reports, adding, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah dismissed the demand saying he would preserve and promote culture in lines with what the Constitution of Pakistan says.

According to the report, the development comes just days after some critics in Pakistan said that children dancing on songs leads to their sexual abuse.