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By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Women, men and allies in all major Pakistani cities are taking part in Aurat March events being held to mark International Women’s Day and call for the protection of women’s rights.
The first Aurat March was held in 2018 in Karachi. The next year, it was extended to more cities, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Larkana, and Hyderabad. This year too, the marches are being held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and other cities.
Karachi: In Karachi, the march is taking place at Frere Hall. In view of the prevailing coronavirus situation, organisers have emphasised standard operating procedures (SOPs), including wearing masks and maintaining a distance of six feet.
Strict security arrangements have been put in place at the venue, with walkthrough gates installed at the entrance, where attendants are being checked before being allowed to enter. The march itself has attracted a sizeable crowd, comprising people from all ages and walks of life. Lahore: In Lahore, the Aurat March started from the Lahore Press Club and reached its destination outside the Punjab Assembly building. The Aurat March Lahore organisers also laid out a “#MeToo blanket” on which women shared their experiences of sexual violence and abuse. Participants of the march also displayed women’s clothes with words written on them termed “stains of patriarchy” that reflected their experiences with patriarchy and the abuse suffered by them. The clothes were hung on wires across streets and walls.
“These are real stories of violence, but also an act of resistance because we no longer carry the shame associated with these acts. The same is now society’s,” a tweet by Aurat March Lahore said. Islamabad: The march in Islamabad was scheduled to start from the National Press Club and reach D-Chowk. The participants of the event raised slogans about reclaiming public spaces for women.
Manifestos: Each chapter of the Aurat March has its own manifesto with the Karachi chapter focusing on patriarchal violence; Lahore on addressing healthcare workers and women’s health; and the Islamabad march is dedicated to the crisis of care.
The Karachi chapter’s demands include an “end to gender-based violence by patriarchal forces as well as state-backed violence targeting activists, religious groups and communities and effective and transparent investigation of gender-based crimes and fair and expeditious trials”.
Tributes: Meanwhile, tributes have poured in with ministers and politicians recalling the role of women in their lives while simultaneously calling for them to be given equal rights. Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his message said Pakistani women had “contributed immensely for the glory and honour of our nation”.
Women were also at the forefront of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, he noted. Talking about women in uniform, Gen Bajwa said they have “proved their mettle by contributing copiously in diverse fields serving the nation & humanity”.
“They deserve our immense respect & gratitude,” he added. President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said empowerment of Pakistan’s women was linked to their economic independence and awareness about rights particularly related to inheritance, education and healthcare.
Addressing at a ceremony to mark International Women’s Day, the President called upon women of the country to be well-aware of their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. President’s wife Begum Samina Alvi and women trailblazers with major accomplishments in different fields of life attended the event here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, organized by Ministry of Human Rights in collaboration with UN Women, European Union and Haqooq-e-Pakistan.
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the protection of women’s rights was the “top priority” of the government because it was “imperative for the formation of a progressive society”. Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said March 8 “highlighted women’s high status in society and their commendable services in different sectors”. He said that the Constitution was a guarantor of women’s rights and they had played an important role in the building and progress of the country.
