Islamabad [Pakistan], March 7 : Organisers of the Women's March held a press conference at the National Press Club on Thursday, urging the government to recognise International Women's Day, marked on March 8, as a national public holiday in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
During the press conference, prominent social activists, including Farzana Bari, Huda Burghari, Nishat Maryam, Zainab Jamil, and Jiya Jaggi, outlined a series of urgent demands aimed at addressing human rights, social justice, and environmental issues in the country.
They emphasised the need for immediate action on gender-based violence, calling for a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of patriarchal violence, as well as the eradication of child marriages.
The activists also demanded the strict enforcement of laws against violence and full implementation of the Transgender Rights Protection Act. They highlighted the importance of ensuring equal rights for religious minorities, specifically calling for measures to provide them with better access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, Dawn reported.
In addition, the Women's March organisers expressed concerns over the misuse of blasphemy laws, urging immediate amendments to prevent their exploitation. They also condemned the persecution of Christian, Hindu, Shia, and Ahmadi communities, demanding the protection of their social, political, and economic rights.
A significant portion of the press conference focused on the organisers' ongoing struggle for the right to peaceful assembly. The activists criticised the government for obstructing their efforts to hold gatherings, especially pointing out the repeated difficulties in obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for their events since 2020, Dawn reported.
The activists also drew attention to the alarming rise in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings targeting Baloch, Pashtun, and Sindhi human rights activists, journalists, and political dissenters. They demanded immediate government action to address these grave human rights violations.
On environmental issues, the Women's March organisers called for an end to environmentally harmful projects such as "Green Pakistan," urging the government to prioritise sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to the country's environmental crisis, as per the report.
The call for a national holiday on International Women's Day, alongside the demand for urgent social reforms, highlights the growing momentum for gender equality and human rights activism in Pakistan.
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