DG Hajj appointment issue: Minister Abdul Shakoor denies allegation of gender discrimination.

ISLAMABAD -- Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor on Monday denied the allegation of gender discrimination in the appointment of Director General (DG) Hajj.

The minister, in a statement, said how could he deviate from the Islamic teachings and the Constitution and influence the opinion of other senior officials who were part of the interview panel.

He said that he even could not imagine about gender discrimination particularly against women while sitting on a constitutional post. 'Women in our society have more rights than any other society,' he maintained.

Abdul Shakoor said, in the alleged audio, the informal conversation after the interview was produced negatively which had nothing to do with reality.

'Despite the baseless allegation, I respect the female official,' he said, adding that the female official had approached the court and he would accept the decision of the honorable court on the...