The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Aurat March, which was held across Pakistani cities on March 8. The resolution, presented by Rehana Ismail of JUI, claimed the women had taken part in the march in major cities holding “obscene” placards. It said the demands made at the event for women empowerment were “shameful and un-Islamic”. The resolution in its original form was opposed by MPAs of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), but after some redaction and negotiations, they agreed to unanimously pass the measure. Women in large numbers, as well as men, had participated in the Aurat March held across the country to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. The first such march took place in Karachi in 2018; this year, the rally was extended to more cities including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Larkana and Hyderabad.
Published in Daily Times, March 21st 2019.
