Heart-shaped garlands, boxes of chocolates, and all the cheesy romance of Valentine’s might not be found in the streets of Pakistan this Tuesday.
Over the weekend, the Islamabad High Court issued a nationwide ban against the holiday, arguing that the holiday is “against the teachings of Islam.”
Now Valentine’s day cannot be openly celebrated in public spaces or government buildings. How this will be enforced, however, is murky, and there seems to be enough gray area for people to elude any explicit criminal offense.
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The government has ordered Pakistan's Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to monitor social media and flag any Valentine’s day reference. But it’s possible that people will simply celebrate their love without referring to the Christian saint.
This ruling was the culmination of a long-simmering dispute in the country over whether the holiday should be celebrated in any capacity.
In February 2016, Pakistan’s president Mamnoon Hussain said the day shouldn’t be celebrated because it was "not a part of Muslim tradition, but of the West."
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Earlier this year a complaint was filed calling for the celebration to be outlawed.
Vendors of flowers, themed presents, and other items are worried that the ban will cost them financially after making significant investments in wares in the days and weeks leading up to the holiday.
And people throughout the country are split over the ruling. Some think it is a silly and pointlessly suppressive measure, while others are glad to see the day erased from the cultural record.
Only if Pakistan could ban and hate the hate-speech like it's banning and hating the Valentine's Day.
— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) February 13, 2016
#Pakistan you can silence Bloggers, Ban Basant\Valentine's Day but not terrorists shows that you are heading wrong direction. #LahoreBlast
— Sonia Hassan (@soniahassan50) February 13, 2017
Can some court in Pakistan ban over the top valentine's day posts from people talking about how amazing their relationships are?
— Huma (@HumaNdivine) February 13, 2017
Either way, people throughout the country will still find ways to celebrate their love — they might just avoid holding big, red, heart-shaped balloons on their way home from work.