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Why this year’s Aurat March will be held in Lahore on February 12

Why this year’s Aurat March will be held in Lahore on February 12

The new date marks the date women bravely protested in Lahore against Gen Zia's Law of Evidence.
Updated 30 Jan, 2025

The organisers of Aurat March and the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) Lahore have jointly called for the Aurat March to be held on February 12, which marks National Women’s Day of Pakistan.

In the past, the Aurat March has been held on March 8, International Women’s Day, across several cities in Pakistan.

“On February 12, 1983, upon the call of the Punjab Women Lawyer’s Association, women gathered on Mall Road, Lahore, to protest against the discriminatory Law of Evidence passed by General Zia’s regime, bravely facing police brutality and arrest,” Aurat March Lahore wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.

“The historic day is a reminder that women and marginalised individuals have been leading the charge against oppression long before us and will endure even after us.”

The demands for this year’s march include ceasing the censorship of free expression through firewalls, surveillance technologies, and amendments to repressive laws such as the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act and Anti-Terrorism Act.

The organisation also demanded the effective implementation of existing laws such as the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016. They also called for the insurance of survivor-centric, restorative justice and a universal living wage for all workers.

“This year’s joint call to march is an invitation to celebrate the everyday resistance of women and marginalised individuals who continue to demand dignity, justice, and a better world.”

Though the organisers of the march have called for it to be held on Feb 12, they are facing roadblocks from the local administration. On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court summoned replies from the Lahore deputy commissioner, chief traffic officer and operations DG to explain why they hadn’t granted the organisers permission to hold this year’s march. Five women approached the court to initiate contempt proceedings against these officials for failing to process their application to hold the march, and therefore not complying with orders the court passed in 2023.

Comments

Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Jan 30, 2025 12:58pm
United we stand, divided we fall.
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M. Emad Jan 30, 2025 03:48pm
2025 Aurat March should be held all over Pakistan.
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Ahmed Jan 30, 2025 04:06pm
It's happening in Feb because it'll be Ramazan in March But as always no good will come of it. Just some copy pasted tweets
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aqeel qamar Jan 30, 2025 04:46pm
we don't need this nonsense in Pakistan.
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Pro West Jan 30, 2025 06:08pm
I wondered what they would do when Ramzaan would clash with Aurat March.
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SyedHasni Jan 30, 2025 06:18pm
Tehmina Durrani is a Pakistani author known for her bestselling book My Feudal Lord, an artist, and a women's and children's rights activist. She is the current spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif since March 2024. Such a strong woman is the first lady, Aurat March should infact start from Raiwand and come to Lahore
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FAZ Jan 31, 2025 06:25am
Another march to decide who should make roti?
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Osman Anwar Jan 31, 2025 06:26am
Possibly because of Ramadan in March as well?
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Punjab Speed Jan 31, 2025 12:26pm
Lahore is the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated city of Pakistan.
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Laila Jan 31, 2025 12:50pm
@Faz Not really. It's fairly evident what their causes are such as marginalization of women, implementation of existing womens protection laws etc. If you live in Pakistan, you must know the challenges faced by females. There is no harm in sharing domestic chores both because a woman's work never ends and boys should know this too, as you have to take care of your parents in old age. You will have to go read on their social media if you want to know more.
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Pro West Jan 31, 2025 01:04pm
I would say definitely because of Ramzaan. The two just don't go together.
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Laila Jan 31, 2025 04:08pm
@Pro West and Osman Anwar, It is not because of Ramadan. Previously/historically other protests/marches by muslims have taken place during Ramadan too. Calls for justice and against oppression/zulm are not exempted during Ramadan. The reason for AM pushing back the date is stated very clearly in the article in paragraph 3, and in the instagram insert above it. The reason is Zia ul Haq's Law of Evidence passed on. February 12, 1983. The International Women's Day will carry on in other Muslim countries on March 8. Just like Pakistanis carry on with politics, work, daily life, watching dramas, cricket, gossiping, denying daughters inheritance, domestic violence, abuse, negligence, oppression, usurping properties and wealth of orphans and others, forced conversions during Ramadan too. No weddings though.
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Laila Jan 31, 2025 04:35pm
You can fast and protest at the same time. The two are not correlated. That's why we carry food and open our roza in traffic, at work, during class, in travel etc. Just read the article.
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Multani Jan 31, 2025 05:13pm
What a waste, this March is needed for India where a women is raped every second, they need rights there, so sad.
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Ahmed Jan 31, 2025 06:52pm
If this has nothing to do with Ramazan then why were previous marches held in March and not the dreadful date of Zia's law. Or many other such laws People need to use their head for once. Think.
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Laila Jan 31, 2025 07:08pm
@Multani India has its own march. Like Turkey, Malaysia, Iraq, Lebanon, etc. Its WORLD INTERNATIONAL womens day. India has rape and violence. But so does Pakistan and this article is about Pakistan. So I don't follow your logic or lack of. In Pakistan a rape occurs every 2 hours this is going only by the those reported. The unreported rapes are much higher. Our children and male prepubescent boys, animals and corpses in graves are are not safe. We have rampant child abuse rings working across the nation. Even in madrassas our kids are not safe. Public sexual harassment is rampant and always has been. Domestic violence is seen as a religious and social right of men. We have at least 1000 honor killings in Pakistan of females. Again going only by reported numbers. The unreported numbers are higher. We have women wasting years in courts for khula (divine right) with deliberate court delays, whilst men can remarry and carry on their lives. Daughters and sisters are denied their divine right to inheritance "to keep all property and wealth in the family". We have increased disproportionate illiteracy for females as compared to males. Many talk about the dangers of education for females because we don't want them to find out their rights and options. A woman has no agency over her own body. But her husband can drag her to a clinic and abort the baby because he doesn't want a child or daughter. Repeatedly. A woman pregnant from rape, incest can not get an abortion. We have hundreds and thousands of women lingering in jail due to false charges by their so-called guardians or other males. We mercilessly persecute our minorities with forced conversations and weaponized rapes of their girls. Mistreatment, abuse and murder of underage kids working as servants is common. We have child brides because there is no enforcement the legal age limit of 17. We have millions of forced marriages guised arranged marriages where girls are not asked for their consent nor preference. Consent is a divine right just not in Pakistan. We have females engaging in prostitution at the behest of their husbands/families known as Halala because they fear the stigma of divorce. But yes let's disregard all that and focus on those evil neighbors next door because they do it too. Let's sweep all our issues under the rug. As usual. And then blame social activists like AM for merely existing. Our women don't need
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TenGee Jan 31, 2025 07:44pm
@Laila - the incongruity between AM and Ramzaan is plain for all to see. Fasting whilst protesting may be fine, fasting whilst joining in protest with clearly anti-Islamic agendas is clearly a clash of ideologies and doctrine.
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TenGee Jan 31, 2025 07:55pm
@SyedNasri What good does it do to have a liberal/secular person fronting AM, when the major problem AM has is that they are seen as a vehicle for liberal/secular (and beyond) agendas. Until they can shed this image, no amount of persuasive rhetoric and sooth saying will help them gain acceptance among the masses. The only people I know who support AM are males who want liberated women with whom they can enjoy western no strings attachments, or people who harbour a general antagonism with the culture and religion of Pakistan. Those who endorse and champion AM attract vitriol themselves from the masses because of their lifetsyles that are seen as detrimental to established norms.
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