Banning books

In a repressive move, Punjab has banned the sale and printing of 100 textbooks used in private schools for having “anti-Pakistan and anti-Islamic content”. These policies have created a new debate on the creeping state-imposed censorship in the country moving toward an authoritarian state.

The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board will seize and investigative books for having objectionable materials. Many of these are published by the Oxford Univerity Press and used for Cambridge International Examinations. They have been ordered to stop publishing and selling these books.

These authorities claim the books contain ‘blasphemous’ and other objectionable material such as incorrect birth dates of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal, incorrect maps showing Kashmir as part of India and mentioning saying by Gandhi. A mathematics book mentioning pigs counting money has been banned. Though these errors are regretted, this does not warrant a complete ban.

Earlier this week, Punjab Assembly passed the ‘Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Act’ which gives the director-general public relations the power to visit and inspect any printing press, publication house, bookstore and confiscate any books before or after printing. He can refuse permission to import, print or publish a book considered prejudicial to national interest, culture, religious and sectarian harmony.

The step is likely to implement in other provinces as the country seeks to enforce a uniform curriculum and challenge the prestigious O/A Level system. The move has sparked criticism as will be a highly time-consuming task to scrutinise and critically review 10,000 books. This will increase the number of banned books as local publishers will be unable to fill the void.

The government has been taking repressive steps as it seeks to introduce a single curriculum. Earlier this year, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution to filter online content similar to Saudi Arabia. Now after controlling traditional media and mulling ways to reign in social media, the government has turned toward an even older medium and has started banning books.

These resolutions will invite criticism as it might be misused to censors material critical of the government and other institutions, or which do not adhere to the state-imposed ideology. There is ambiguity over that is considered objectionable to prevent injustice and false allegations. The government should ensure such policies do not push Pakistan towards a totalitarian state.