Since past few years, Women's Day is celebrated in Pakistan with a controversial and much talked about rally called the Aurat March. Women, apparently from all sections of the society (in reality, primarily from the elite section), take part in this march by walking with bold and expressive placards on the streets of Karachi, Islamabad and other cities. The reason for the march being controversial is due to the outrage it sparks in the country over social media and other platforms. On one hand, it has moved religious parties to organize their own counter-march in support of women; their sole stance being that 'everything is good and we do not need any march to obtain rights for women', which obviously is a flawed perspective. However, on the other hand, we have some very sane and moderate voices that object to the way these marches are actually doing more harm to women than they're helping them.
Before we mention the objections, we should first acknowledge the actual stated reason for these marches; to empower women and fight the injustices done against women in this country. There is no question that many women in Pakistan have to suffer throughout their life mainly because of their gender. From the moment they are born they're considered a burden in many households. They're fed less, educated less, given less rights simply because they were born girl, not boy. Even in this era of science and technology, and even among many educated households people still feel a deep-rooted shame in having girls. Women are taunted for giving birth to daughters, friends and neighbors remind the couple how their family is incomplete without a son. This leads to second marriages, divorces, separation and even female infanticide. Many women are forced to have children till they finally give birth to a son. In many villages, forced marriages of young girls are a norm. Many women are denied their legal inheritance on the account that a huge amount is spent on their dowries. Public places, public transport and offices are usually not safe or comfortable for women because of harassment. Women are victims of very particular crimes too; such as honor killings, and acid-throwing. All of these are very serious and important issues that need the attention of society, and it is the society that can come forward to mend them.
Despite having very genuine and burning issues at hand, every year Aurat March chooses to focus on issues that are relevant to only a particular class of the society. Their causes and their placards are almost a mockery to the serious issues faced by the women of the weaker classes. Most women are seen holding placards with messages that use a foul language, showing contempt towards men and traditional values, as well as expressing disregard for cultural and religious values. It is necessary to mention here that Pakistan is no heaven for men either, and that men have their own share of injustices to bear in this society. It is also necessary to mention that Islam does not allow any of the injustices or crimes that are done against women (Islam instructs men to respect women and keep their gaze low, instructs to give women their due share of inheritance, forbids discrimination of sons and daughters, gives women the right to work and earn without the added responsibility of having to share the expenses). When it comes to real and serious issues, the religious institutions and the male population of the country officially stand in support of women. So the question is why women at the Aurat March choose to push this support away instead of channeling it to enhance their cause ?
There were placards that talked about menstruation - not to create any kind of awareness but just saying random things about it, about taking pride in women's biology (with diagrams of uteruses, somehow), lessons about consent (in a society which prohibits premarital relationships anyway and is unfamiliar with any concept of marital rape), witty insults for cat-callers and body-shamers, enlightening one-liners for husbands who don't do household chores. . . there were placards supporting queers and homosexuals. . . all of these are pretty impressive ways of narrowing down the list of people who will take this march seriously and a sure-fire way of igniting concern and confusion regarding who these women represent? Many of these slogans are actually alien to the masses; it's as if the organizers googled feminist slogans and copied them without thinking how or why in the world they would apply to Pakistani women. Most other slogans, which were in Urdu, although relatable they represent minor domestic problems rather than pointing out crucial injustices done to women.
If we assume that the purpose of Aurat March is to provide further independence, rights and freedom of expression to an already privileged class of women then the march can be deemed successful. The truth, however, is that a march that gets enough media coverage and enjoys the limelight on Women's day fails badly at highlighting the real injustices & issues of our women. The collective voice of the third-wave-inspired-feminists only ends up inviting ridicule not just from men but from most women too. This is not because women wish to stay confined or that they love their own chains & shackles as some protagonists of the march would suggest but because they see an obvious lack of dignity and social connection in the march: Immodest dresses, provocative dance performances, open disregard for moral and Islamic values, soft voices calling for legalizing homosexuality, not to mention the unpatriotic remarks and vile language of some of the leading women who run NGOs (which arrange the march) that are openly funded by countries that do not hold the best interests of Pakistan at heart.
In December 2020, the American congress cleared USD 10 million for 'gender programs' in Pakistan.(1) Some members of the congress were upset about it as it meant less relief funds for their own country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I predict the day our country's finances collapse, we will still be funding gender programs in Pakistan," Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. (1)
"When your country's COVID-19 relief bill includes USD 10 million in 'gender programs' for Pakistan, you know Congress is broken," Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. (1)
Pakistan as a nation owes significant debt to the US, we may thus question why it matters if our social-welfare programs are also funded by the US ? The truth is that funding NGOs is not the same as funding government projects. NGOs are essentially 'non-governmental' and can even have anti government agendas. The US has always had long-term goals of controlling the Middle East region and keeping these countries in a state of strife because of its own vested interests. Funding NGOs is one clever way of gathering likeminded, active, and 'potentially rebellious' individuals to work for you as and when required in the future. If our gender programs and NGOs are funded by the US it explains why our Aurat March is poor at connecting with our masses. Why it doesn't gather sympathy but ridicule; and most importantly, why it is blatantly secular.
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