Malala Yousufzai Pakistan: Grade 7 book seized in Punjab for printing Malala’s picture
Lahore: The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) on Monday confiscated the social studies book for grade 7 published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) after it allegedly printed a picture of Nobel prize winner Malala Yousufzai alongside that of 1965 war hero Maj Aziz Bhatti Shaheed in the list of important personalities, media reports said.
Pictures of some important personalities had been published on page 33 of the book that 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 Yousufzai, reports Dawn News.
Already circulated in various educational institutes, sources told Dawn News the PCTB, police and other agencies were conducting raids on shops across the city even at the time the report was filed to confiscate copies of the book for publishing Malala’s picture besides that of Aziz Bhatti.
A team of officials on Monday first conducted a raid on the OUP office in Mini Market, Gulberg, and then confiscated the entire stock of the book.
The official even handed over a letter to the press, stating that the book had not been issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
One of the publishers on condition of anonymity told Dawn that the book had been submitted to the PCTB for a review and to seek an NOC in 2019.
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