A day after the controversial announcement, Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) today withdrew the letter expressing objections to the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi at a university.<br />'' <br />''This comes after the HEC faced widespread criticism. Salman Sufi, the head of the Prime Minister's Strategic Reforms Unit, clarified that Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain had instructed the HEC to retract its controversial letter.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Pakistan HEC sparked outrage after it banned Holi celebrations across all educational institutes, claiming that it had caused concern and disadvantageously affected the country's image and erosion of Islamic identity.</span><br />