At the Aurat March protest held in Islamabad on March 8, police officers were caught on camera assaulting female protestors and pushing them back by installing barbed wires.
Politicians like the Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, condemned the clashes in a tweet and called for an inquiry on the conduct of the police officers who had brutally beaten the female protesters.
Lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Haazir called Rehman out, writing in a tweet that the Minister had done nothing to prevent the police from preventing the peaceful protest from going on.
“You came to the march for a photo-op and left after creating complete chaos which we were then dealing with for the next hour. You were rude to us in our meeting with you on 6 March and were aware of all the risks we were taking. Please save this drama for someone who believes it. Too little, too late.”
Rehman responded to Mazari-Hazir’s tweet saying that she had left early due to a distress call, and offered an opportunity to meet all year round rather than just for a “one year episodic march”.
“Oh please. I did not need your “photo op”; left a fully scheduled press con at PID (anyone can check) at 2.40 becoz I got a distress call. In my office I offered u a safe space thru the year to meet and build traction, not just a one year episodic march. With my broken shoulder I stood there but many were caught up in angry sloganeering. Have been the butt of many laathi charges but never behaved like this. Rudeness is never going to get u allies or grow solidarity. All the best”
Mazari-Hazir then criticized Sherry Rehman for reducing Aurat March to a “one year episodic march”.
“Calling it ‘just a 1 year episodic march’ shows what you really think of it. That in itself is sad. This ‘one year episodic march’ is a global practice- doesn’t mean collectives (or even individuals within them) are not working year round. Could have criticized what I said without punching down on movement.”
Other Aurat March protestors also criticized the minister, calling her “condescending” for interrupting the trans performers present at the march.
This user wrote: “You were extremely condescending to all of us whn we met u. You interrupted the Trans persons’ perfrmance by standing over them knowing fully well tht the media will follow u. U brought out the inner transphobes in the media persons who thn started strampling the trans performers”
Another activist, Fauzia Yazdani tweeted how Rehman had refused to condemn the police officers who had started harassing and pushing back the protestors
