ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor on Monday denied the allegation of gender discrimination in the appointment of Director General (DG) Hajj.
The minister, in a statement, said how could he deviate from the Islamic teachings and the Constitution and influence the opinion of other senior officials who were part of the interview panel.
He said that he even could not imagine about gender discrimination particularly against women while sitting on a constitutional post. “Women in our society have more rights than any other society,” he maintained.
Abdul Shakoor said, in the alleged audio, the informal conversation after the interview was produced negatively which had nothing to do with reality.
“Despite the baseless allegation, I respect the female official,” he said, adding that the female official had approached the court and he would accept the decision of the honorable court on the matter.
The minister alleged the media for turning it into a sensational news story by using the woman card and said before the allegation, the woman official tried to influence politically for the appointment on the said position.
He made it clear that all the prevailing rules were followed in the tests and interviews for the appointment of DG Hajj.
Abdul Shakoor said the final selection of three suitable candidates for DG Hajj was at the discretion of the prime minister.
He said the Hajj 2023 was approaching nearer and requested the honorable court to give an early decision on the petition of the female official.
