LAST year around this time, I penned an article titled ‘Why must the aurat march’. This year I reiterate the same article with just a slightly different title i.e. ‘Why must the aurat STILL march’. As 2024 happens to be yet another year passing within the blink of an eye, where one moment it is January the 1st and we wake up with new affirmations and resolutions to make drastic lifestyle changes, we enter 100% attendance gyms and we find ourselves making sure to chug 8 glasses of water a day, the next moment we realize 2 months have almost already gone by and we are soon approaching March.
While, maybe for some, for a select few, the new year has proved to be a year of change, for most life and business continue as usual – back to being the person they so dearly thought was left behind when on 31st December of last year the clocks struck 12 and bells toiled across the globe with beautiful displays of fireworks better than ever before leaving everyone awe-struck and rather hopeful for the 365 days to come.
So, as we approach March, we approach the world wildlife day, we also approach Ramadan, and in Pakistan, we look forward to March the 23rd – Pakistan Day. Among these very important dates and days of celebration, on the 8th i.e. today the world celebrates women under the banner of ‘International Women’s Days’. Over the last few years, on this date, Pakistani women have gathered in different cities and marched together – together in solidarity, in change, and as a force. It is this togetherness that also encourages the likes of Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and Muftis to creep out and sit on various talk shows asking about the need and purpose of this rather ‘inappropriate’ march – asking their favorite question and asking it repeatedly: why must the aurat march?
The years may have seen the likes of Zainab, may have also experienced Kasoor and the motorway incident, and may have even batted an eye on Noor Mukadam and her murder but the question remains: why must the aurat march? Writing this article at the cost of sounding like a broken record – maybe, just maybe shedding some light once again on last year’s reported rape case in the heart of Islamabad, the capital city of the Islamic Republic might just answer why the women of this country not only need to but also should continue their march. If that is not enough, a focus on this year and the recent mob attack on a woman in Lahore for merely wearing a dress with Arabic scripture mistaken for Quranic verses by daft followers should be answer enough.
Pakistan has long treated its women and the white on its flag with utter callousness. The Fatima Jinnah Park (F9 Park Islamabad), named after the mother of this nation, ironic as that may sound is one of Islamabad’s most recognizable public spaces – a hub for sociocultural activities, recreation, and also a breath of fresh air in a city that is, in the year 2024, proudly moving towards becoming a concrete jungle.
In a country plagued with polarization and a city even more so, the park has always been a venue for all. While the rich and wealthy in this country enjoy musical nights and poetry sessions inside their barbed-wire homes and dont shy away from spending a fortune on their 5-star hotel weddings, the poor and impoverished do not and can not enjoy the same. But also, while the men can drive at 4 am from Isb to Lhr to reach an 8 am meeting – no questions asked – the women are told not to step foot out after dusk – my point is polarization. And so, for years the park had been a venue for study circles, poetry readings, art classes, and evening walks for all – an all-inclusive safe space. Beyond that, the park had also welcomed the Aurat Azadi Jalsa just two years ago – acting as a means of protesting against the misogyny and patriarchy of the country.
A violent sexual assault in this very park was a chilling reminder to the women of the city and those of Pakistan that they are not safe in public spaces. The victim-blaming statements in the wake of the incident, similar to those when a woman was raped in front of her children on the motorway and similar to every god-forsaken rape case ever in this country along with the discourse 0n social media to ban women from entering parks at night does one thing and one thing only – it reinforces patriarchy, misogyny and most importantly it instills the same entitled mindset that allowed the two men in F-9 to give their target rupees 1000 and then a lecture on morals and ethics on what women should and should not do – mind you, after raping her. In a nutshell, the Islamic Republic is unsafe and unwelcoming for women. Mince your words or not, the reality does not change but only hits home at one point or another.
The fact of the matter is that women in this city and beyond are struggling. From finding affordable and safe accommodation to finding a secure means of transport, it is not easy. And hence for many women, the march is a channel for expression – a time or rather a day in the 365 days of the year when relating to the experiences of those like them, they draw strength and walk the city’s streets openly, freely, and fearlessly. So, a broken record this article may sound but dont be surprised when today and after today, you hear how our sociocultural fabric is damaged and the doing is all that of women.
The attack on the aurat azadi march by religious fanatics in 2022 told the women that they could not be allowed to claim public space — even on a day designated to celebrate them. The rape in F-9 park was a reiteration of that message and the recent mob attack on an innocent girl in Lahore’s Ichra bazaar is a testament to the unchanged mindset and society… and so an answer to why must the aurat still march.
—The writer is Assistant Editor, daily Pakistan Observer, Islamabad.
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