ISLAMABAD – Islamabad High Court gives verdictover the petition on Aurat March .
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday dismissed the petitions filed againstthe Aurat March which is scheduled to be held on March 8.
A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah conductedhearing of the petitions seeking court’s directions to regulate activitiesof the Aurat March and dismissed the same by terming them asnon-maintainable.
The court noted in its verdict that the petition is not maintainable.However, this court expects that the proponents of the “Aurat March” willexercise their constitutional rights in accordance with law having regardto conduct that is consistent with the norms of decency. It is anopportunity for them to prove those who doubt their intentions wrong, itsaid.
It added, “The petitioners and citizens are expected to take this as anopportunity to introspect and demonstrably show outrage against thepractices, 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, thenmany innocent “Zainabs” will be saved from being treated savagely.”
Justice Athar stated that the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had spentyears trying to change mindsets and that is the need of the hour.
The tribal patriarchal traditions and societal norms, based on egos andobscure insecurities, which offend the injunctions of Islam, have to bedefeated through collective struggle so that no mother, sister or daughtersuffers the agony of litigation to assert rights of inheritance norinnocent “Zainabs” have to endure unthinkable pain and agony.
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He wrote, “The petition is, therefore, accordingly dismissed. This petitionhas been filed seeking a writ to regulate activities which are expected totake 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 womenorganizations, which they find offensive and in violation of Islamicinjunctions. The petitioners interpret the slogans as obscene and inviolation of the Islamic injunctions. They feel that the slogans woulddisturb harmony in the society and offend the established norms.”
He added that the emphasis of the learned counsels for the petitioners wason the Islamic injunctions and that the expected slogans or activitieswould 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 arevolution, which has no parallel in human history. It was a message ofpeace and a revolution, whereby a human being was declared as theVicegerent 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 thisunprecedented revolution. It was an era when female infanticide was rampantand an acceptable norm of the society. Women were treated as chattel,having no rights at all.
