Story highlights Valentine's Day leaves many divided in Pakistan

Businesses worry that the ban may affect trade

Islamabad (CNN) The Islamabad High Court in Pakistan's capital issued an order Monday that banned the celebration of Valentine's Day across the country 'with immediate effect.'

The order prohibits the display of adverts on electronic and print media that reference Valentine's Day, bans the sale of associated merchandise and states that the day cannot be celebrated in "any public space or government building."

Sultan Zaib in front of his garlands of roses.

The court has requested Pakistan's Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to monitor these platforms and share any information that shows that the ban has been compromised.

The court's order came after a petition was submitted by a citizen called Abdul Waheed -- who claimed that ongoing promotions of Valentine's Day were "against the teachings of Islam and should be banned immediately."

Valentine's Day backlash

Read More</s>Pakistan's Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday imposed a ban on Valentine's Day celebration across the capital.

The order by the top court came during a hearing of a petition arguing that Valentine's Day, February 14, is not a part of Muslim tradition. The court order stated that festivities related to Valentine's Day have been banned in public places as well as on an official level.

Reports state that the court order has directed print and electronic media to not give any coverage to adverts promoting the day of love.

The IGC also reportedly directed the information ministry, federal government, Pemra chairman and chief commissioner to submit a reply in the case within a period of 10 days.

Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain, last year, had urged the citizens of the country to not celebrate Valentine's Day as it does not have a connection with Pakistan's culture.

"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture," Hussain had said last year adding that young people in the country should "always maintain their religious and national identity."

The celebrations of Valentine's Day was also banned in the city of Peshawar last year in Pakistan. The district council unanimously passed a resolution in February 2016 reportedly banning people from observing the annual celebration of love after deeming in un-Islamic.

The resolution said condemned the celebration of the "western tradition" and said that Valentine's Day has "no place in our tradition and values."</s>Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court on Monday imposed a ban on Valentine`s Day celebrations across the country after hearing a petition that argued the day is not part of Muslim tradition.

According to the court order, Valentine`s Day-related festivities have been banned in public and official places.

Electronic and print media have also been directed not to give coverage to any promotion of the day, reports the Express Tribune.

The Islamabad High Court directed the Information Ministry, the federal government, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman and the Chief Commissioner to submit a reply within 10 days.

Last year, President Mamnoon Hussain had also urged the nation not to celebrate Valentine`s Day and said that it has no connection with the country`s culture and should be avoided.

He urged the people to maintain the country`s religious and national identity.</s>The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a ban on Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, prohibiting celebrations at public places.

A Pakistani court on Monday, issued a ruling against observing Valentine’s Day in public places across the country.

Petitioner, Abdul Waheed told newsmen that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) also ordered local media not to publicise anything related to the day.

Majid Bhatti, a lawyer at the IHC, confirmed that the court order covered the entire country.

Report says Valentine’s Day draws mixed responses from people every year with many voicing objections, citing religious teachings.

In 2017, President Mamnoon Hussain had urged people not to observe Valentine’s Day because it was not a Muslim, but a Western tradition.

“Valentine’s Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided,’’ the president had said.

Waheed said had asked the court to issue orders against the promotion of Valentine’s Day because he believed print and electronic media had been presenting the day as if it was part of local culture.

According to him, private TV channels will be banned from airing special content in relation to Valentine’s Day.</s>The Islamabad High Court banned Valentine’s Day in the Pakistani capital on Monday, claiming that the holiday is wrong on many levels. No longer may citizens celebrate the day either in public or online. But why such drastic measures?

Deutsche Walk reported that the initial criticism came from a citizen–Abdul Waheed–who “filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court.” His issue? That the holiday was, in his opinion, “un-Islamic.” Valentine’s Day has often been source of contention for many in the religious community of Pakistan. The news source further noted that some dissenters have resorted over the years to “physically intimidating” those partaking in the holiday celebration.

According to reports, Waheed submitted a petition in an an effort to better respect the Islamic religion that is so central to Pakistan. His voice was heard, and Pakistan officially passed a ban on the holiday. CNN weighed in on the topic, explaining the seriousness of the legislation’s language. The ban clearly states that celebration or recognition of the holiday is prohibited from “any public space or government building.”

As mentioned before, the ban even extends to the private sector. The Islamabad High Court has enlisted the Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to help “monitor” the social media activity of capital citizens, Time reported.

Later in the day, the government ordered “local police to enforce the court ban” in the capital.

They seem adamant that the holiday be snuffed out in Pakistan. A lot of the strain in Pakistan surrounding Valentine’s Day has to do with its Christian roots. The day is, after all, named after the historic and legendary patron, St. Valentine. Although the day has much less to do with Christian ideas today then other holidays like Christmas or Easter, it still seems to be a major issue for many Pakistanis. CNN said that some find the holiday “amoral and an appropriation of Western culture.”

The legislation probably comes as a disappointment to many shops, who have successfully marketed Valentine’s Day products over the last few years. While the country, as a whole, has not been very receptive of the holiday, CNN reported that Islamabad vendors and shops have benefited from Valentine’s Day sales; these same businesses have expressed concern over the lack of income resulting from the ban.

“In Islamabad’s markets Monday, florists standing amid large heart-shaped garlands of roses and bouquets of daffodils and jasmine were worried by the effects of the ban.”

While the country’s more strict and nation-wide religious standards may seem shockingly rigorous to Americans, it appears that Islamabad is fairly unified in their support of the Valentine’s Day ban–at least, for the most part.</s>The Islamabad High Court on Monday imposed a ban on Valentine's Day celebrations across Pakistan.

The order came during the hearing of a petition arguing that the day was not part of Islamic tradition and should be banned, the Dawn reported.

According to the court order, Valentine's Day related festivities have been banned in public places.

The electronic and print media have also been told not to give coverage to any promotion of the day.

Last year, President Mamnoon Hussain urged Pakistanis not to celebrate Valentine's Day.</s>The Islamabad High Court on Monday imposed a ban on Valentine’s Day celebrations in public places and government offices across Pakistan, The Dawn reports. The Federal Ministry of Information, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Islamabad High Commission have been told by Justice Shaukat Aziz, who was hearing the case, to submit their replies regarding the</s>According to the court order, Valentine's Day related festivities have been banned in public and official places. (Representational Image)

Islamabad: A Pakistani high court on Monday banned Valentine's Day celebrations across the country and its promotion on social media, after accepting a petition which argued that it was ‘un-Islamic.’

The order was issued by the Islamabad High Court on the petition submitted by a citizen Abdul Waheed, whose political affiliation was not immediately known.

The petitioner had urged the court that the Valentine Day was not part of the Muslim tradition and its promotions on the mainstream and social media should be banned.

The court accepted the petition and ordered the administration to act accordingly to stop the celebration of Valentine's Day in the country.

It said the order should be implemented with "with immediate effect."

It nominated the Ministry of Information, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and Chief Commissioner Islamabad to ensure that ban was carried out in letter and spirit.

Apart from the government, the print and electronic media have also been warned to stop all Valentine's Day promotions immediately. PEMRA will ensure that media follows the court orders.

Valentine Day has been controversial in Pakistan and every year zealots of religious parties try to terrorise the youngsters celebrating the day.

But it is for the first time that a high court has banned the celebrations.

Only a small minority in the conservative country openly observe the day and that too in the big cities.

Last year, President Mamnoon Hussain had also urged the nation not to celebrate Valentine's Day saying that it has no connection with the country's culture and should be avoided.

He had urged the people to maintain Pakistan's religious and national identity.

The Valentine's Day activities have often been disrupted in the past in the Muslim-majority country by the supporters of hardline parties like Jamaat-e-Islami.</s>The orders were given on a petition submitted by citizen Abdul Waheed, who maintained that promotions on mainstream and social media for Valentine's Day are "against Islamic teachings and should be banned immediately."

The petition had further called for a ban on the celebration of Valentine's Day in public places, and had said, "in cover of spread of love in fact, immorality, nudity and indecency is being promoted which is against our rich culture."

The Islamabad High Courtimposed a ban on Valentine's Day celebrations in public places and government offices across Pakistan, The Dawn reports.The Federal Ministry of Information, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Islamabad High Commission have been told by Justice Shaukat Aziz, who was hearing the case, to submit their replies regarding the immediate execution of the court's orders.Print and electronic media have also been warned to "stop all Valentine's Day promotions immediately", while Pemra has been ordered to monitor all mediums and send out notifications banning any related promotion.</s>ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court Monday (Feb 13) banned public celebrations of Valentine's Day in the capital Islamabad, the latest attempt by authorities to outlaw a holiday seen by many in the traditional Muslim society as vulgar and Western.

The Islamabad high court issued the order after a petitioner declared love was being used as a "cover" to spread "immorality, nudity and indecency... which is against our rich traditions and values".

The ruling, seen by AFP and greeted with approval by Islamist parties, also called for the electronic and print media to stop promoting Valentine's Day.

Some restaurants in Islamabad continued to send out text messages advertising Valentine's Day promotions even after the ban was announced. However preparations appeared muted in more conservative areas such as Peshawar, capital of northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, where only a handful of shops were selling Valentine's Day-themed goods.

The annual occasion is increasingly popular among young Pakistanis, many of whom seize the chance to celebrate romance by giving cards, chocolates and gifts to their sweethearts.

But the country remains deeply conservative, and many disapprove of the holiday as an indecent Western import.

Last year, Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain had urged the nation to refrain from celebrating Valentine's Day, saying it had no place in the Muslim-majority nation. Other officials blasted it as "vulgar and indecent".
The Islamabad High Court indefinitely bans the celebration of Valentine's Day in Pakistan.