LAHORE, Nov 5: The Women Action Forum celebrated its silver jubilee on Sunday with a resolve to continue its struggle for people’s rights, particularly that of women and other marginlised sections of the society.

At a gathering in the city, speakers traced the history of the enforcement of the Hudood laws, the Qanoon-i-Shahadat and other laws `discriminatory’ to women and religious minorities during the Ziaul Haq period, saying that the dictator divided the population on the basis of religion, sect and gender in a way that its impact was being felt till this day.

They also criticized the Musharraf government saying that it continued to follow the footsteps of Gen Zia. “Enlightened moderation is yet another ploy in perpetrating with repressive laws”, they added.

A resolution termed the women’s protection bill moved in the National Assembly insufficient and unanimously demanded repeal of the Hudood Ordinance and other discriminatory laws. It also resolved to carry out the struggle for a society based on peace where people and their verdicts in elections were respected.

The ceremony for silver jubilee celebration was impressive and largely attended. A good number of young women were also present getting inspiration from the messages delivered in their speeches by those who not only founded the WAF in 1981 but also carried out their struggle relentlessly till this day.

The two-floor National College of Arts auditorium was packed to capacity with participants squatting on all available space and standing along its walls for hours, enjoying the recitation of poems and singing of popular `ghazals’ of Faiz and Habib Jalib. Classical dancer Sheema Kirmani also performed towards the end of the ceremony.

A women’s rally marked the end of the ceremony which also saw a reunion of women from across the country who founded the NGO 25 years ago and for many it was a nostalgic event, refreshing their memories of the past.

The proceedings of the ceremony were occasionally punctuated with clapping and singing of those poems by Faiz and Jalib in chorus which the founders used to sing in the early years of the WAF to motivate other participants as well.

The presence of rights activists like Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan, Begum Mehnaz Rafi, Neelam Husain, Farida Shaheed, Farida Sher, Khawar Mumtaz, Nighat Saeed Khan, Fareeda Zafar, Nasreen Shah, Lalarukh Hayat, Bushra Aitzaz Ahsan, Samina Rehman, Nigar Ahmad, Salima Hashmi, Farrukh Nigar Aziz, Shahla Zia, Samina Ahmad and Hina Jilani was inspiring for many in the hall. They were the people who founded the WAF’s Lahore chapter in October 1981, only a month after the NGO was established in Karachi.

Stalwarts like Nasreen Azhar from Islamabad and Anis Haroon from Karachi added to the galaxy of the rights activists of the early years. Only Asma Jahangir, who is abroad these days, was absent among the women who waged the struggle which found a boost from a rally at Regal Chowk on Feb 12, 1983, which was not allowed to march towards the Lahore High Court in protest against the Qanoon-i-Shahadat. Police had baton-charged the rally as a result 50 women sustained injuries and were then taken into custody along with Habib Jalib, one of the participants. —Mahmood Zaman