MPs label women’s march as anti-Islamic

peshawar — The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has assailed as anti-Islamic women’s marches held earlier this month across the country to mark the International Women’s Day.

Lawmakers in the provincial assembly unanimously adopted a resolution denouncing the marches as a “shameless and un-Islamic act”.

The lawmakers included those from the ruling PTI and those from opposition parties, including the leftleaning Pakistan People’s Party.

The members debated the marches organised by civil society and women rights groups and held it a conspiracy against the country.

The House deliberated upon the resolution moved by Rehana Ismail of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and later adopted it unanimously.

The resolution stated that certain hidden forces were tyring to ruin the traditional family system and social values.

The resolution noted that slogans inscribed on placards and banners were unethical and against the norms of morality, adding the rights enshrined in Islam for women and minorities were unprecedented.

The resolution recommended to

the federal government to take action against march organisers and evolve a strategy to discourage such gatherings in future which are meant to weaken the basic edifice of our social infrastructure.

Earlier, Inayatullah Khan of Jamat-e-Islami told the House that some non-government organizations (NGOs) wanted to damage the ideology of the country in the name of modernisation.

Supporting the points raised by him, Leader of Opposition Akram Durrani said that some protests, held on March 8, were totally against Islamic values and traditions. He said a few months ago a women cycle race was scheduled for Peshawar but was later cancelled on MMA’s resistance.

He said that such activities would not be allowed in the country and any action against Islamic and traditional values would strongly be resisted.

Parliamentary Leader of PPP Sher Azam Wazir, Parliamentary Leader of PML-N Sardar Yousaf, Khushdil Khan of ANP, Aisha Bano and Fazl-e-Elahi of PTI and Minister Qalandar Lodhi also spoke over the issue. — AP, APP