Right-wing political group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has threatened to use baton charge to halt the Aurat March on International Women’s Day.
According to local media, JUI-F Islamabad President Abdul Majeed Hazarvi has warned against the annual gathering of left-wing activists on March 8 in the country’s federal capital.
If the march is authorised, Hazarvi says they will use batons to halt it. It is spread in the name of women’s rights.
Following Noorul Haq Qadri’s letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 8, the JUI-F said anti-Islamic chants should not be raised on International Women’s Day.
Qadri also advised celebrating International Hijab Day on March 8 to show solidarity with Muslim women worldwide.
Human rights advocates and journalists blasted the JUI-F leader’s call for action against Hazarvi and his cohorts. On April 20, 2020, stones were thrown at demonstrators in Islamabad.
In 2020, JUI-F chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman advised his party’s workers to stop the march. We will also come out to stop them,” he said during a gathering.
Last year, petitions were filed asking for a march ban. These petitions were dismissed as the law guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly.
