Aurat March 2020-IHC reserves verdict on maintainability on petition

Islamabad High Court reserved the verdict on the maintainability on a petition filed to stop Aurat March 2020.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Mianallah presided the hearing today. The federal government and the chief commissioner of Islamabad were present as respondents.

Petitioner had claimed that the march is opposite to “Islamic values and the moral ethos of Pakistani culture”.

The chief justice had questioned how the slogans differ from Islamic values.

Justice Minallah said, “The slogans are asking for the rights which Islam has given them [women],”

“How can we interpret the meaning of these slogans ourselves when organizers have clarified.”

Justice Mianallah also said that he supports women’s rights.

He said, “The Prophet (PBUH) had eliminated the burial of little girls alive, however, the birth of a girl is not considered ‘good’ in our society,”

“These slogans are for rights that are not given to women. The press conference [by the organisers stated that they want to enforce the rights given to women in Islam.”

The petitioner responded that they filed the petition “to stop the agenda behind the Aurat March”. “The court should ban the march in accordance with the law,”

However, Miallah responded, “If something goes against the law on March 8, then it will be dealt with legally,”

“It’s important that you see this march in a positive way,”