A petition against organizers of the Aurat March was rejected by the Islamabad High court (IHC). During a hearing on Thursday, Chief Justice Athar Minallah told the petitioner, the Organisation for Peace, Justice, and Education (PJEON), to stop with its propaganda.
The Chairperson of PJEON, Ch Abdur Rahman Nasir, has named the organisers of the march, the government, PEMRA, NADRA and the Council of Islamic Ideology in its petition. Justice Minallah declared the petition not fit for hearing; disposing it off.
It held that the posters show-cased during the Aurat March on March 8th – the International Women’s Day – were contrary to the Islamic code of conduct. They had slogans like ‘Mera Jisam, Meri Marzi’ (My Body, My Choice)’ and ‘Meri Shaadi Nahi, Meri Azadi ki Fiqar Karein’ (Worry About My Freedom, Not My Wedding).
Justice Minallah declared the petition not fit for hearing and advised the petitioner to approach the relevant forum instead. It has been disposed of.
“Instead of doing this propaganda, contact the relevant forum,” he directed the petitioner. The lawyer responded that it was no propaganda and that he had turned to the court after hearing no response from the interior ministry.
The petitioner has claimed that the organisers called for an end to nikkahs (Muslim legal marriage contract), which is against Islam. However, the judge said this could be someone’s personal opinion which, the petitioner was not supposed to blanket around everyone.
