No Aurat March rally will be organized this year in Lahore. On March 8th, hundreds of women are expected to rally in the nation’s cultural capital to celebrate International Women’s Day, but the district administration of the city has refused permission due to security concerns.
Every year, a considerable number of women, usually from the upper class of the nation, take to the streets in a number of cities to demand political action for gender justice and women’s rights, with the events’ catchphrases lasting in the public eye while being widely seen as provocative.
Rafia Haider, the deputy commissioner of Lahore, is said to have refused permission to hold the Aurat March due to security issues, provocative banners, and the possibility of conflicts with participants in the ‘Haya March,’ which would be organized by the political right-wing party.
The organizers of the controversial event requested a no objection certificate (NOC) from the district administration to hold the Aurat March rally at Lahore’s Nasser Bagh.
In a statement, Deputy Commissioner said “Following the current security scenario, threat alerts, and law and order situation, and in light of activities like controversial cards and banners for awareness of women’s rights and the strong reservation of the general public and religious organizations, especially JI’s women’s and student wings, who had also announced a program against the Aurat March.”
Last year (2022), Aurat March Lahore chose not to escalate things after the march was arbitrarily cut short by the district administration, despite being given an NOC. Permission was still given to violent and hateful groups to hold a counter-protest along the route of the march pic.twitter.com/FxV2oovg9N
— عورت مارچ لاہور – Aurat March Lahore (@AuratMarch) March 3, 2023
The move however draws huge outrage from Amnesty International and other human rights activists.
Amnesty International said it is dismayed with the decision of the Lahore district administration to refuse permission for the Aurat March. It called on officials to respect, facilitate and protect the right to assembly, particularly of women in line with international human rights law.
Aurat March, on its official Twitter, said “In a city where large crowds are allowed to gather for PSL, a peaceful gathering of women and gender minorities is being silenced and denied their constitutional right to assembly.”
Do issues of gender-based violence take precedence over cricket matches? It enquired. The marchers stated that the refusal to allow this year’s event to take place was a violation of their constitutional rights and that the DC did not punish the group for instigating violence against them.
The organizers said that the administration had overlooked the fact that the courts had previously confirmed their right to stage the Aurat March in 2020.
🇵🇰 Pakistan: Amnesty International is dismayed with the decision of the Lahore district administration to refuse permission for the @AuratMarch citing, “controversial cards and banners for awareness of women’s rights” amongst other reasons. (1/3)
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) March 3, 2023
