With the Aurat March scheduled to take place this weekend, things are heating up and the controversy surrounding it keeps growing. Till now, a petition has been filed and dismissed in the Lahore High Court, an acclaimed writer verbally abused a social activist on live television and posters and murals of the march have been torn down in different cities.
The slogans and posters of the Aurat March have created the most amount of controversy, in particular, ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’. While some say the slogan is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society.”
Read more – Aurat March posters explain the A-Z behind the march
It was also this slogan which Khalil ur Rehman Qamar was criticising when journalist Marvi Sirmed murmured it as he was speaking causing him to spew abuse towards her. Qamar’s actions sparked a whole new debate in which several members of the entertainment industry got involved.
Mahira Khan, who was one of the first actors to condemn Qamar for his words and actions, posted a note to social media in which she talked about why she marches.
“We are a country getting used to the idea of equal rights, Me Too, Times Up. All of us, as those in positions of power and privilege should speak a language that a common man would understand. We don’t march for ourselves. We march for those who can not march for themselves,” she wrote.
Mansha Pasha agreed with Mahira “wholeheartedly”.
Meanwhile, some organisers of the Aurat March disagreed with Mahira’s comments and explained to her that provocative and instigating posters are there to demand attention.
Responding to the explanations, Mahira said that she stands corrected, adding that she still “believes that certain things said/written out of rage dissuade us from engaging in dialogue which brings about change.”
Last but not least, Maira Omair Rana sums up ‘Why Women March’.
