President Arif Alvi has said that protests are not necessary to raise awareness regarding women’s rights while responding to a question related to the difficulties Aurat March organisers face every year to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to hold rallies across Pakistan to commemorate International Women’s Day.
The President of Pakistan says that women have the whole year to protest , so why take out demonstrations just on the 8 th of March #InternationalWomensDay https://t.co/stN1mndYtr
— Munizae Jahangir (@MunizaeJahangir) March 6, 2023
Despite Punjab Interim Information Minister Amir Mir’s assurance that the government will not hinder the Aurat March rallies in the province, the Lahore, Multan, and Islamabad administrations denied the NOCs to Aurat March.
The Lahore administration denied permission to organise the Aurat March, citing “controversial” placards and the likelihood of clashes with members of Jamaat-i-Islami’s (JI) ‘Haya March’ as grounds for the rejection.
Separately, the Islamabad administration directed the organisers to hold the march in a park.
Meanwhile, Multan DC denied the request of the Aurat March organising committee to issue a No Objection Certificate for holding a rally at Nawan Shehr Chowk.
According to the organising committee of the Aurat March Multan, the city administration also misbehaved with the Aurat March organisers.
While responding to journalist Munizae Jahangir’s question on why the Aurat March organisers have been denied NOCs, the president responded that he is aware of women’s rights without any protests.
The journalist also questioned if women should have the freedom to come out on International Women’s Day.
The president said that he is requesting women that why don’t they debate about this all year round.
“Why only on March 8th?” he questioned.
The Aurat March is held annually to observe International Women’s Day across several cities in Pakistan, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Multan among others.
The basic demands behind the march are equal opportunities for everyone, including transgenders and women; raising awareness regarding gender-based violence, and calling on authorities to make laws in this regard. The demands also include risks related to climate change and the exploitation of the poor that comes with it among many other issues.
However, the organisers of the March face resistance from the government and regressive elements in society every year.
