BADIN: Activists of Jamaat-i-Islami, Majlis-i-Wahdatul Musli­meen and civil society staged rallies in a number of Sindh towns on Sunday to condemn what they saw as controversial slogans being raised by leaders and participants in the Aurat Azadi March.

JI Badin chapter leaders Rukshanda Naz, Sofia Shams and others who headed a rally from Bilawal Park to Aiwan-i-Sahafat to mark the women’s day condemned the way the day was celebrated by certain elements who had mired the serious issue in controversy and thus camouflaged genuine problems of Pakistani women.

They said the negative slogans had tarnished the international day and turned the exercise into a big farce.

They asserted that no system other than Islam could safeguard rights of women. “The international day recognised achievements of women which we shall celebrate in accordance with our values and religioun rites,” said Rukshanda Naz.

Meanwhile, Khoski town observed complete shutdown in protest against Aurat Azadi March.

The shutdown call was by given by local leaders of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat.

Traders and shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in response to the call and took part in a rally and demonstration outside local press club.

The leaders demanded that such marches be banned, which according to them, were only spreading vulgarity in society. Instead of discouraging such dangerous trends they were being prompted by a section of society, they said, adding that women be given their rights in the light of Islamic teachings.

SUKKUR: Activists of Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen and a civil society group staged a protest outside local press club to condemn the slogan mera jism meri marzi.

The leaders said that Islam had given complete rights and utmost respect to women. Some elements wanted to promote obscenity in the name of rights for women which would not be tolerated, they said.

Representatives of trade unions, NGOs, lawyers bodies, bangles association, home-based workers and lady health workers said at ‘Haqooq-e-Niswan’ conference organised by All Pakistan Workers Confederation at Labour that Islam had guaranteed rights of women.

Mahar Sultana Zaidi, Kausar Rajput, Irfana Abdul Jabbar, Nighat Ansar, Sarwat Jahan and others said that in pre-Islamic era women used to serve as serfs and denied all fundamental rights and newborn baby girls used to be buried alive, they said.

They stated that some women influenced by western society wee raising slogans like mera jism meri marzi.

Abdul Latif Nizamani said that equal rights had to be ensured for women. As long as it was not done their standard of living could not improve. Gender equality needed to be ensured so that women were treated at par with men, he said.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020