Aurat March pledges to drive home its concerns
Pakistan
The organisers of Aurat March on Monday presented a list of 60 demands.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Aurat March is on the go from Nadra Office, Shimla Pahari, near the press club. It will move to Faletti's at 2pm on Wednesday.
— عورت مارچ لاہور - Aurat March Lahore (@AuratMarch) March 7, 2023
Previously, the Aurat March organising committee had requested for a no objection certificate (NOC) from the district administration last month to hold a rally on March 8 at Nasser Bagh, Lahore. The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rafia Haider and Aurat March organisers to sit together and finalise the venue for the March 8 rally.
— عورت مارچ لاہور - Aurat March Lahore (@AuratMarch) March 7, 2023
Earlier, the organisers of Aurat March on Monday presented a list of 60 demands, including an end to patriarchal violence, increased representation of women at all levels of decision-making concerning climate change, a reduction in the defence budget and increased allocations for health and education. These demands were presented by women’s rights activists, including Farzana Bari and Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, before the media at a pre-march press conference at the National Press Club (NPC).
The demands also include raising minimum wages allocations, and moving away from anti-poor policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and debt traps.
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) March 8, 2020
President Dr Arif Alvi has reiterated Pakistan’s commitment towards women’s socio-economic empowerment and inclusion in all sectors of life and providing them equal opportunities to excel and grow. In a message, the president said Pakistan joined the international community in commemorating the day.
“Let us pledge to achieve gender equality and work towards creating a more just and equitable world for all through digital technologies,” President Secretariat Press Wing in a press release quoted the president as saying.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in New York Tuesday morning to begin a five-day visit during which he will preside over a conference on ‘Women in Islam’, which is set to take place on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The foreign minister said Pakistan from the platform of the Council of Foreign Ministers was hosting an event on Islamophobia to shun negative perceptions regarding the human rights, particularly of women and minorities. Islam, he said, is the religion which grants rights to women and promotes their emancipation in all fields of life.
