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.”
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.
In Pakistan, Valentine’s Day is seen by some as amoral and an appropriation of Western culture.
The country’s president Mamnoon Hussain, made a statement in February 2016, asking Pakistan’s not to celebrate the day since it was “not a part of Muslim tradition, but of the West.”
The Islamabad High Court’s decision has also divided social media users, with some tweeting for the ban and others vehemently against it.
