Pakistan: PTI, JUI-F united by misogyny as they oppose 'Aurat March'
Feb 20, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], February 20 : The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), which are always at loggerheads, have come together to oppose Aurat March in Pakistan, local media reported.
However, this rare display of unity reeks of deep-seated misogyny and patriarchy in the country.
Ahead of Aurat March that coincides with International Women's Day, federal religious affairs minister and a leading light of the JUI-F have both termed it 'un-Islamic', reported the Dawn newspaper.
The two staunch rivals also cite 'our culture, tradition' to justify their opposition to it.
"If any attempts are made for obscenity on March 8 in Islamabad, we will condemn it," Abdul Majeed Hazarvi, the chief of JUI-F Islamabad wing had warned earlier.
Their argument would have weight if backed by logic, knowledge or even plain common sense but their driver appears to preconceived, archaic notions about a woman's place in society and outright misogyny, reported the Pakistani newspaper.
Anyone questioning the legitimacy of the women's rights movement need not embark on a deep study of history or sociology but merely look at a few recent incidents to understand why the status quo is unacceptable, as it is patently unjust, the Dawn reported.
Qandeel Baloch's murder for creating a persona on social media that challenged the honour of her brother who killed her demonstrates the direction of verbal, physical and psychological abuse in the vast majority of cases in Pakistan, that is, from man to woman.
In another horrific incident demonstrating the plight of women in Pakistan, two young women were kidnapped, raped and stripped before being paraded in their village because a man from their tribe and a woman from their tormentors' tribe, eloped and got married of their own choice, according to the local newspaper.
Aurat March, which was first held in the city of Karachi in 2018, is now organized every year to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8. The march highlight the issues women face in Pakistan.
