IHC rejects petitions seeking restrictions on Aurat March.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday dismissed petitions seeking restrictions on the Aurat March being staged on March 8 to mark International Women's Day.

IHC Chief Justice Athar MinAallah, while rejecting the petitions, observed that the petitions were not 'justiciable', but also expressed the hope that the participants of the march would exercise their rights in accordance with law.

The petitions were filed to seek a writ to regulate activities which are expected to take place on March 8.

The petitioners expressed appAreAhensions that during the march, slogans which they deemed offensive and in violation of Islamic injunctions would be raised. The petitioners interpreted the expected slogans as obscene and said they felt that the slogans would disturb social harmony and offend established norms.

The activity should be seen as expression of outrage against denial of rights to women, observes Justice Minallah

In his order, Justice Minallah gave a historical background of fundamental rights. He recalled that 14 centuries ago Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) spread the message of Almighty Allah. 'It was a revolution which has no parallel in human history. It was a message of peace whereby a human being was declared as the vicegerent of the Creator on earth. It declared humans as a creation in the 'best of forms' (Al. Isra; 70). The weak, vulnerable and subjugated were the biggest beneficiaries of this unprecedented revolution. It was an era when female infanticide was rampant and an acceptable norm of the society.'

Explaining women's rights, the court order said: 'The pre-Islamic times did not recognise any rights of the women. The patriarchal culture subjugated and treated women as property. The advent of Islam prohibited female infanticide and gave a woman her own identity. It recognised the right of a woman to enter into a marriage contract based on her free will. For the first time women were given the right to inherit property and to own and manage it on their own. They were given the right to engage in business and their education was declared an obligation of the State. Women were, therefore, given real empowerment centuries before such rights could be enjoyed in other territories. All this was happening at a time when the rest of humanity was treating women as an object and as property, having no rights whatsoever. It was indeed a revolution against the patriarchal and misogynist norms and...