ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Noor ul-Haq Qadri requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to impose a ban on the Aurat March movement and instead celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8 as Headscarf Day, Geo News reported.
The contentious rights movement has been attended by tens of thousands in multiple cities across Pakistan since 2018 to coincide with Women’s Day.
Organisers say they have faced a backlash from conservative elements, including threats of violence.
In 2021, the march sparked outrage when banners and videos of protesters chanting what its detractors labelled as objectionable slogans surfaced on social media. Organisers, however, termed the videos as doctored, saying they were aimed at stifling dissent and free speech.
According to Geo News, Qadri said “certain elements” should not be permitted to mock Islamic values or the wearing of headscarves, without elaborating further.
The minister proposed to Khan the world’s attention be drawn on March 8 to the discrimination faced by Muslim women in India, occupied Kashmir and elsewhere in the world due to their religious attire.
Qadri further said the international community should be urged to put an end to blatant mocking and prejudiced treatment meted out to Muslim women in India.
A copy of the letter has also been forwarded to President Dr Arif Alvi.
Global watchdogs have expressed concern in recent years over what they see as a clampdown on rights campaigns in Pakistan.
