Netizens outraged after Aurat March Faisalabad was cancelled

Netizens are outraged after Aurat March Faisalabad was canceled by authorities, especially the Assistant Commissioner (AC), who allegedly denied permission to organize the rally in the city.

Aurat March was set to take place in Faisalabad on 1 August 2021. However, the event was reportedly canceled after the District Administration allegedly denied issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The march organized by students and teachers was to ‘stand in solidarity with all women seeking justice and demanding their rightful place in society.’

This was one of many protests staged nationwide as people protested three brutal cases of femicide.

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Today’s Aurat March in Faisalabad has been cancelled. Assistant Commissioner Faisalabad threatened to arrest organizers and called young female students to intimidate them. Its a blatant example of how the state suppresses women’s movements.#ShameonACFaisalabad #JusticeForNoor

— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) August 1, 2021

Subsequently, an online campaign against Assistant Commissioner Faisalabad is going strong. Even Amnesty International took note of the issue.

PAKISTAN: Amnesty International notes with serious concern the government’s decision to bar the #AuratMarch protest in Faisalabad yesterday. The right to peaceful assembly is protected by all major human rights conventions and the Constitution of Pakistan. [1/2]

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— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) August 2, 2021

Meanwhile, Netizens took to social media and called out authorities for their discriminations against women for denying them the right to protest and organize the Aurat March.

AC Faisalabad today coerced the @FaisalabadMarch organisersto postpone the the event. During the hours long meeting he repeatedly said “rape aaj kal consent k baghyr nahi ho skta” “Pakistan mei aurat itni bhi mazloom nahi”

— Ali Sajjad (@alisajjadnaqvi) August 1, 2021

Women were not allowed to protest against the brutal murder of Noor Muqaddam in Faislabad today because AC thought it was Noor’s fault somehow that she was murdered. He not only refused to grant NOC but threatened of grave consequences if the protest was held. Let that sink in!

— Salman Sikandar ☭ (@salmansikanda12) August 1, 2021