Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain has denounced St Valentine’s Day, saying the festival has no connection with his country’s culture and should be avoided.

The president told students that it was a Western tradition and conflicted with Muslim culture.

Mamnoon Hussain’s remarks came after a district in north-western Pakistan banned Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Valentine’s Day is popular in many cities in Pakistan, but religious groups have denounced it as decadent.

Earlier this week, the local government in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told police officers to stop stores from selling Valentine’s Day cards and items.

Kohat district is run by a religious political party and borders Pakistan’s conservative tribal areas.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar local council also passed a resolution to ban celebrations of what it called a “useless” day.

However, officials in both places later said the bans had been discarded or ignored for being unpopular.

Earlier this week, there were unconfirmed media reports that Valentine’s Day gifts had been banned in the capital Islamabad – although this was subsequently denied by the government.