Islamabad High Court gives verdict over the petition on Aurat March
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ISLAMABAD - Islamabad High Court gives verdict over the petition on Aurat March .
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday dismissed the petitions filed against the Aurat March which is scheduled to be held on March 8.
A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah conducted hearing of the petitions seeking court’s directions to regulate activities of the Aurat March and dismissed the same by terming them as non-maintainable.
The court noted in its verdict that the petition is not maintainable. However, this court expects that the proponents of the “Aurat March” will exercise their constitutional rights in accordance with law having regard to conduct that is consistent with the norms of decency. It is an opportunity for them to prove those who doubt their intentions wrong, it said.
It added, “The petitioners and citizens are expected to take this as an opportunity to introspect and demonstrably show outrage against the practices, which are flagrantly offensive to the injunctions of Islam e.g. mindsets that do not welcome the birth of a female child, honour killings, rape, practices such as Wani, Swara, Karokari, etc. If this happens, then many innocent “Zainabs” will be saved from being treated savagely.”
Justice Athar stated that the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had spent years trying to change mindsets and that is the need of the hour.
The tribal patriarchal traditions and societal norms, based on egos and obscure insecurities, which offend the injunctions of Islam, have to be defeated through collective struggle so that no mother, sister or daughter suffers the agony of litigation to assert rights of inheritance nor innocent “Zainabs” have to endure unthinkable pain and agony.
He wrote, “The petition is, therefore, accordingly dismissed. This petition has been filed seeking a writ to regulate activities which are expected to take place on March 08, 2020. The said day is globally recognized as the “International Women’s Day”.
The petitioners apprehend that slogans would be raised by some women organizations, which they find offensive and in violation of Islamic injunctions. The petitioners interpret the slogans as obscene and in violation of the Islamic injunctions. They feel that the slogans would disturb harmony in the society and offend the established norms.”
He added that the emphasis of the learned counsels for the petitioners was on the Islamic injunctions and that the expected slogans or activities would be offensive to the norms of society.
The IHC CJ maintained that fourteen centuries ago the 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 and a revolution, 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. Women were treated as chattel, having no rights at all.
