Government announces support for Aurat March on Women’s Day
PM’S adviser Dr Ashiq Awan says the Constitution provided full protection and rights to women and that it was the aim of the government to make women independent
ISLAMABAD: The government has announced its support for Aurat March on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Sunday and expressed the hope that its participants would not harm honour and dignity of Pakistan.
The Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) has also backed the march programmes, but asked the organisers to take a stance which was culturally acceptable to society.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), however, announced complete support for the march with no strings attached. It accused both the Pakistan Tekrik-e-insaf (PTI) and PML-N of being on the same page on the issue of women’s march.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government would give full support to the march provided it “does not trample on Pakistan’s honour.”
She said that strengthening women was the PTI government’s most important mission. She, however, wondered what kind of power did women marchers want by coming out on roads and raising slogans not permitted by “values of our society, religion and family.”
“We will have to trace who are those handful people who possess this mindset and why they are busy in misleading the entire nation, especially women,” she said.
The special assistant did not elaborate what she was meant by the “mindset” which, she claimed, was misleading the people.
Dr Awan said the Constitution provided full protection and rights to women and that it was the aim of the government to make women independent.
The women march last year caused some controversy over some of the placards held by activists of the march which were inscribed with slogans which opponents of the march claimed “violated Islamic principles” and were “disrespecting women.”
They said that placards and banners of the march “violated the country’s cultural values.”
Senior PML-N leader said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that his party always supported the struggle for basic rights of women and always fought for freedom of expression in the country.
He said that a slogan which had become controversial in society was actually written in English, but when it was translated into Urdu, it gave a different meaning. He advised the organisers of the march to adhere to “Islamic and cultural” norms of the country.
“The organisers must raise and write culturally acceptable slogans with utmost care,” the PML-N leader said.
The Aurat March will be held in different cities of Pakistan on Sunday as part of the International Women’s Day (IWD), being observed by the United Nations, amid intense tension and controversies.
The 15-point manifesto of the Aurat March, released by its core committee, is by and large what every sane, democratic Pakistani demands. However, it makes no mention of the offensive slogans raised or inscribed on placards displayed by its participants in last year’s demonstration, which they are poised to repeat on Sunday. As the day of the rally drew close, an intense controversy ensued and tension built up with some religious elements threatening to block the show.
It will be seen on Sunday when the march will be held whether the focus will be on distasteful slogans or the acceptable points of the manifesto.
If the nauseating slogans are set aside, most of the demands figuring in the manifesto are stated in the Constitution of Pakistan, but which have mostly not been implemented over decades.
Ironically, the manifesto, containing fine points, seems to be an afterthought following famous drama writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s use of profane language against civil society activist and aggressive supporter of the Aurat March slogans Marvi Sirmad in a TV show.
Nobody will dispute or question several demands, written in the manifesto, which are often vociferously raised by political parties but are not paid any attention when they come to power.
It will be instructive to have a look at the Aurat March demands, unfolded by its core committee three days back.