University of Peshawar to remain closed on Valentine’s Day

The University of Peshawar has announced an official ‘off day’ on Valentine’s day for seminars and workshops, reports The News.

The management has released a notification that states, “It is notified for the information of all concerned that the University of Peshawar will observe a closed holiday on Monday, February 14 in lieu of February 5, Kashmir Day, for keeping the university open for arranging talks/discussions, seminars and workshops. Schedule of examination, tests and interviews, if already announced, will remain unchanged.”

In 2018, the administration took similar steps to prevent students from celebrating the day. They arranged a seminar, “Faculty Development Workshop on Quality Assurance” and also cancelled the classes because of it.

In the past, violent clashes had been reported between groups on February 14 over the celebration of Valentine’s Day.

In 2014, activists of the Pakhtun Students Federation (PSF) and Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) turned the campus into a battlefield when they opened fire on supporters of the day which resulted in several injuries of students.

Many conservative groups in Pakistan mark February 14 as “Haya Day” and often arrange walks to prevent western influence on young minds.