On International Women’s Day on 8 March 2024, a grand Working Women’s Rally, will be taken out from the Fawara Chowk, near the Karachi Press Club. The rally will culminate at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, where prominent women leaders belonging to resistance movements will speak to the demonstration. On this occasion, revolutionary songs and tableaux based on women’s rights and their struggles will be presented. The rally will be attended by thousands of workers, labourers, fishermen, health workers, transgenders, journalists, teachers as well as women fighting against enforced disappearances and tragic killings.
Those who spoke and participated in the press conference including Zehra Khan (Home Based Women Workers Federation), Sami Baloch (Voice for Baloch Missing Persons), Asad Iqbal Butt (HRCP), Kami Sid (Transgender Activist), Subhagi Bheel (Sindh Agriculture General Workers Union), Habibuddin Junadi (People’s Labor Bureau), Nasir Mansoor (National Trade Union Federation), Saira Feroze (United HB Garment Workers Union), Amina Baloch (Baloch Unity Council), Husna Khatoon (Balida factory fire Association), Nasira Parveen (All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union), Hamida Ghangru (Public Rights), Sara Khan (National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan), Dr. Asghar Ali Dashti, Hani Baloch (Zindman), Jamila Abdul Latif, (Home Based Glass Bangle Workers Union, Hyderabad), Saeed Baloch (Pakistan Fisher Fork Forum), Sahrish Mehmood (Nach Natak Mandli) and other.
On this year’s International Women’s Day, the message of millions of women across the country is that: “We, the working women, the resistant women, who are half of the population, reaffirm on this day that our relentless struggle will continue against the shrinking democratic freedoms, increasing economic helplessness and imposed social decline. The resistant role of women in the ongoing struggle is emerging as a hope for society.
The path of resistance for women emerging from the working class is long, arduous, demanding hard work and dedication, and full of unparalleled sacrifices. But for us, these are the steps towards achieving justice, a better quality of life and high human dignity and values, and these actions are scaring the enemies of women. We believe that our struggle will achieve the goal of democratic freedom, economic autonomy and social security.
The caravan of resistant women and transgenders is becoming wider and wider and more united. Somewhere our voice is rising as Sorath Lohar and Sassi Lohar, challenging the forces of evil, while somewhere Saeeda Khatoon and Zehra Khan are challenging the economic oppression and climate terrorism, while Mahrang Baloch and Sami Baloch are besieging the criminals’ hideouts. Women’s resistance is moving towards its destination with new colours and styles.
The working and resisting woman has discovered the secret that the struggle will be successful only when she strengthens her connection with the political process and the struggle for the rights of her class, the oppressed and the subjugated people, and the most important and first principle of this is resistance. Now every coming day will highlight the colour of resistance.
On the International Women’s Day, the focus and main slogan of our struggle is: “Women’s Resistance: For Democratic Freedom, Economic Autonomy and Social Security”. On this important day, which is historically associated with the struggle of textile garment workers, we want to say that: The participants of the press conference condemned the shameful incident that happened in Khayber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly with member assembly Sobiya Shahid and the incident with women in Lahore. They demanded that the anti-women and extremist elements involved in these incidents should be immediately arrested.
