Islamabad, May 11 (IANS) The 28-point restrictions imposed on Aurat March Karachi by the government of Sindh province in Pakistan showcases “distressing example of familiar double standards” as women, who are celebrated during speeches and choreographed events, are labelled as threats by the state when they start demanding their rights, local media has highlighted.
An editorial in leading Pakistani daily Dawn stated that the organisers had requested authorities to allow them to hold a march peacefully for women’s rights. However, they received a document dripping with authoritarian anxiety. The message from the authorities could not have been clearer: women can gather but only if they remain harmless politically, it mentioned.
“Rather than facilitating peaceful assembly, the administration chose to police slogans, speech and even clothing. The vague and sweeping conditions betray insecurity. Why does a march calling attention to gender violence and economic inequality provoke such discomfort in official circles? Why are women demanding bodily autonomy and constitutional rights treated as a threat? Secure governments do not fear placards, nor do they attempt to dictate what citizens may wear while exercising their rights,” the newspaper opined.
According to the daily, a majority of perpetrators of violence against women in Pakistan are men. Women face harassment on roads, workplaces and homes and are subjected to honour killings, domestic abuse, forced marriages and institutional discrimination. However, authorities instead of dealing with the structures that allow such violence regulate women. The state seem unable to tolerate women who speak their mind without bureaucratic approval.
“Just consider: in 2026, women in Pakistan must still seek permission to demand dignity while the state reserves the right to determine how loudly, how politically and even how appropriately dressed they may be while doing so. We have miles to go before we can claim to be a progressive society,” it mentioned.
On May 5, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had condemned the detention of Aurat March organisers and volunteers outside the Karachi Press Club, where they had gathered to hold a press conference.
The rights body stated that preventing people from holding press conference showcases an “increasingly repressive approach to governance”, where dissent is considered a threat instead of a democratic necessity, leading Pakistani news network Geo News reported.
The HRCP’s statement came after police briefly arrested several Aurat March leaders, including activist and artist artist Sheema Kermani, outside the Karachi Press Club.
“HRCP strongly condemns the arrest of several organisers and volunteers of Aurat March from outside the Karachi Press Club, where they were scheduled to address a press conference. This incident is not isolated overreach but rather part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern: the systematic denial of public space to citizens seeking to articulate their rights,” HRCP posted on X.
“The rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are constitutionally guaranteed. Preventing citizens, particularly women and marginalised groups, from even convening a press conference reflects an increasingly repressive approach to governance, where dissent is treated as a threat rather than a democratic necessity,” it added.
The organisers of the press conference said that the detained people included Kermani, transgender activist Shehzadi Rai, Muniza, and others.
–IANS
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