Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar makes big statement on Nitish Kumar Hijab row, says, ‘shameful…, non-negotiable principles..’

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is facing huge criticism following an incident in which he removed the hijab of a woman doctor during a public function. Following the incident, the Chief Minister has faced criticism from various quarters, including film actress Rakhi Sawant. Reacting to the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling down a hijab controversy, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar, condemned the incident.

What exactly did Ishaq Dar call ‘shameful’ in his statement on the Bihar controversy?

Sharing a post on social media platform X, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called the incident shameful. “The shameful incident involving the disrespect of a Muslim woman in Bihar is reprehensible and extremely disturbing. Such acts underscore the imperative to safeguard minority rights and to address the troubling rise of Islamophobia. Respect for women and religious beliefs must remain fundamental and non-negotiable principles in every society,” reads the post.

The Pakistan Human Rights Commission has condemned the incident and urged the India(BHARAT)n government to conduct an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation. “The Human Rights Council of Pakistan strongly condemns in the strongest terms the highly shameful, reprehensible, and inhumane action of Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of India(BHARAT)’s state of Bihar, in which a Muslim woman doctor was forcibly stripped of her veil/hijab during an official ceremony while she was receiving her appointment certificate,” the post reads.

“The Human Rights Council of Pakistan demands that: The India(BHARAT)n government conduct immediate, transparent, and impartial investigations into this incident. The affected woman doctor be provided with full protection and justice. Clear and strict legal action be taken against the responsible individuals,” the post reads.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.

“Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours,” Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function. Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.

“We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.

“If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong,” the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

Why is the Nitish Kumar hijab incident drawing international attention?

On December 15, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar landed in a controversy after he removed the hijab of a woman doctor during an appointment letter distribution ceremony in Patna.

The incident, which surfaced through a short video clip, has drawn sharp criticism from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The RJD shared an 11-second video of the event on its official X account, questioning the Chief Minister’s conduct.

In an X post, the RJD wrote, “What has happened to Nitish Ji? Has his mental state completely deteriorated, or has Nitish Babu (Nitish Kumar) now become a 100 per cent member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh?” The video shows Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on stage along with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Health Minister Mangal Pandey during the ceremony. The controversy arose during an official event where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar distributed appointment letters to 1,283 AYUSH doctors (Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, and Unani) at Samvad Hall in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

(With IANS, PTI Inputs)