Aurat March 2020: Petition Filed Against Holding March

A man has filed a petition against holding Aurat March 2020 and promoting it on social media.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has accepted the petition for hearing to stop the Aurat March 2020 which is scheduled to be held on Women’s day March 8. LHC has summoned Additional Director Cybercrime Wing of the FIA and Deputy Inspector General Operations on February 27.

The Petition was filed by a Judicial Activism Council Chairman Azhar Siddique. He said that “there are various anti-state parties present who are funding this Aurat March with the sole purpose of spreading anarchy amongst the masses”.

The petition has also termed the Aurat march “against the very norms of Islam” and that its agenda is to spread “anarchy, vulgarity and hatred”.

Azhar Siddique (Petitioner) said “During last year’s Aurat March, women were holding placards that had objectionable messages,”

he petition also mentions that Azhar Siddique had submitted an application to the CCPO Lahore to register an FIR against the “women holding objectionable placards at the march” but police is reluctant to take any action against it.

The petitioner has also submitted an application to enforce the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Citizen Protection Rules, 2020 to “stop the promotion of anti-state activities such as Aurat March on social media” and another application for the promulgation of the Punjab Red Zone Act, 2018 not only in Lahore but also other part of Punjab but no action has been taken yet.

The Lahore high Court directed the government lawyer to ask for instructions from the Interior Ministry of and inform the court.  The court is expected to take up the case on February 27.

Last year on March 8, women all over Pakistan came together to participate in the Aurat March 2019