‘New low’: HRCP demands Punjab revoke order to confiscate textbook containing Malala’s image – Press Release

• The confiscation is a “new low in state’s attempts to manipulate public discourse,” says HRCP.
• The HRCP says PTCB must withdraw this order immediately.
• PCTB spokesperson claims book confiscated for being published without NOC, not for having Malala’s picture.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HECP) on Tuesday demanded the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) to immediately withdraw the order of confiscating a school textbook that contains education activist Malala Yousafzai’s picture in a list of important personalities.

A picture of a page inside the book circulating on social media suggests that the book was confiscated for including Malala’s picture on an important personalities list.

According to a report in Dawn, pictures of some important personalities had been published on page 33 of the book. They included Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, national poet Allama Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Liaqat Ali Khan, legendary philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan, Nishan-i-Haider recipient Maj Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, and activist Malala Yousafzai.

“The PCTB’s confiscation of a textbook – allegedly because it features a picture of Nobel laureate and rights activist @Malala Yousafzai – is a new low in the state’s attempts to control information and manipulate public discourse,” the HRCP said in a statement issued on Twitter.

“The PCTB must withdraw this order immediately,” it added.

Issuing a clarification after the backlash, the PCTB said it had confiscated the social studies book as it was published despite not being issued a no-objection certificate.

A PCTB spokesperson said the entire stock of the book was picked up from a book market in Lahore and clarified that Malala’s image was not the issue.

He said it was published by a private publisher without an NOC.

Last year, the PCTB had banned 100 textbooks being taught in private schools deeming them “anti-national” and “blasphemous”.

According to the banned list obtained by Geo.tv, 17 books were taught to class-I students, 18 were taught in class-II, 19 in class-III, 24 in class-IV, 13 in class-V, 4 in class-VI, three in class-VII, one to class-IX and one to both class-IX and X.