Pakistan's ‘Aurat March and its Feministic Perspective

Abstract

Over the past few years, the ‘Aurat (women) March got massive resistance against the patriarchal structures of the society, bringing about a solid reaction against the participants and organizers of the march. The manifesto of the ‘Aurat march (women's March) is released by the organizers every year, which demands accountability and restorative justice against violence on a woman at home, workplace, and in public places. They also demand economic justice, inclusion, and access to public space at all. The ‘Aurat March gave birth to the fourth wave of feminism in Pakistan but with its provocative and reprehensible slogans, it put the organizers and participants at risk. There is a clear contradiction between Islamic feminism and the fourth wave of radical feminism in Pakistan in these marches. Aurat March 2020 has NGO-based identities and has donor agendas. A resolution was passed by the KPK assembly which was moved by a woman parliamentarian, who said that the demands of the women march were "Un-Islamic and shameful". The critics largely targeted the placards that women brought to march along with them.  In this context, the efforts are made to elaborate on the Aurat March and its manifesto in the light of Islamic Culture and Seerah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). This study concludes that violations of rights are there but secular people present it with exaggeration and make religion Islam responsible for all these malpractices.  Therefore, we should stand collectively for women's rights and make it possible with the state and society's power. The Analytical and Critical approaches have been adopted in this study. This study is focused on the anti-Islamic ideologies and secular nature of the slogans represented in Aurat marches and the promotion of their western agendas to challenge the very foundation of Islamic society and cultural traditions