Women in ‘inappropriate’ attire barred from entering Punjab Civil Secretariat

Security officers claim instructions came from Dr Yasmin Rashid; the minister denies issuing the orders

LAHORE: Punjab Civil Secretariat has reportedly barred the entry of dupatta-less women and staff has claimed that the instructions have been issued by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and provincial health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a staff member at the Minister's Block confirmed that they were issued oral orders by Dr Rashid which stated that women wearing 'inappropriate' clothing should not be allowed inside the premises.

However, the party in a tweet from its official account claimed that the minister has not issued "any discriminatory orders like this".

The Minister @Dr_YasminRashid has not issued any discriminatory orders like this. One should not hurl any blame/allegation without concrete evidence.

You may report the incident to concerned authorities.@FakeNews_Buster https://t.co/xMpdnNvi6k

— Tehreek-e-Insaf (@InsafPK) October 19, 2018

Dr Yasmin also denied issuing any such orders, saying, "neither has such an instruction been given nor is it possible to discriminate against anyone on this pretext."

This is quite absurd indeed!
Neither has such an instruction been given nor is it possible to discriminate against anyone on this pretext
Have taken notice of this.
The guard has been investigated and a show cause notice is being issued to him. https://t.co/cTg2L3g2hv

— Dr. Yasmin Rashid (@Dr_YasminRashid) October 19, 2018

Rashid's personal staff officer also denied that any such orders had come from her. "Security officers have just taken her name, no such orders were issued by her."

According to a social media user, she was refused entry into the government complex earlier as she was not wearing a dupatta. When she asked the reason behind her being barred from entering, she was informed that the staff had orders from the "minister she had a meeting with".

Rant alert: I was refused entry in a government building because I wasn’t wearing a dupatta. :) Refusing me entry was also a head scarf wearing woman (no issues, her choice) who called in a man when I asked why. He said these orders are from the minister I had a meeting with 1/2

— Noor Imran (@NoorImran_) October 17, 2018

A day later, when two of her colleagues went to the secretariat complex, one of the women was asked to cover her head before entering. "When she said that she had just come yesterday without covering her head, she was told the instructions were issued on the day."



Another Twitter user claimed she went to the Civil Secretariat after she heard of the issue. "They refused me too and when I asked for written orders there were none."

https://twitter.com/ButtSidra/status/1053161564684148736

In a video uploaded by the user on Twitter, the guard can be heard saying that Dr Rashid has given oral orders saying women without dupattas should not be allowed entry.

"Nothing from our end, these orders just came a day ago," the guard says.