Hate material against Indians in textbooks in Pakistan-India News Times provides India-centric and other News and Features

Karachi: Biased syllabi is the major reason behind radicalisation of Pakistani youth and deteriorating quality of education in the country. Speakers at the launching ceremony of a study - Education or Fanatic Literacy - underlined the need of serious reforms in the education sector in general, and the curriculum policy in particular, reports the Daily Times. The speakers said that although the civil society raised its voice on this issue, successive governments have turned a deaf ear to it. According to the study, which examined 22 textbooks for the academic year 2012-13, under use in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh for grades 1-10, there are 55 chapters containing hate material against Indians/Hindus, India, and Christians, insulting remarks against the minority religions and distorted historical facts. The study said the textbooks stressed on the rhetoric that Hindus opposed while Muslims favoured the creation of Pakistan. It said that during partition, only Muslims faced violent attacks, loss of life and property, and Muslims did not take part in the bloodshed. The whole treatment and arrangement of textbooks is visibly discriminatory against non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan, violating Articles 18, 20, 22 and 25, in particular. The study showed that hate based material in Punjab textbooks increased in 2012-13. While in 2009, there were 45 hate speeches in the books, the number increased to 122 in 2012-13. The textbooks of Urdu and Pakistan Study of grade 7-10 carry most of the hate-based material.

Hate material against Indians in school textbooks behind radicalisation of Pak youth: Experts