March for equality and empowerment on International Women’s Day

Gender rights activists from across Lahore will hold Aurat March today (Friday) to mark the annual International Women’s Day (IWD). Participants will march to celebrate women’s struggle and movement everywhere in Pakistan. The march will commence from the Lahore Press Club in the afternoon and will be culminated at Alhamra Art Centre where speakers will deliver their speeches. Issues of violence against women and transgender community, economic injustice, police brutality and enforced disappearances will be highlighted. The march is being organised under the banner of ‘Hum Aurtein’; a collective of feminist women, transgender individuals and sexual minorities who stand against patriarchal structures.

Successful Pakistan women from all walks of life shared their sentiments about the importance of women and their contribution to society.

“To all you wonderful women out there, know that you are stronger than you think. You are beautiful, resilient, nurturing and pretty amazing. So love yourself, respect yourself and pass that infectious energy to people all around you. Happy Women’s Day from me to you” – actress Sanam Saeed

“Although, one day really is not enough to celebrate women and to tell them that they truly matter, but then something is better than nothing. So a very happy International Women’s Day to every woman in your workplace and your home” – politician Anny Marri

“I wish Daily Times’ readers and all fellow countrymen a very happy International Women’s Day. Women are the embodiment of patience and tolerance. Women make the world appear more colourful and beautiful. On this occasion, I would also like to add that men and women should unite to ensure that equal rights and protection is awarded to the brave Pakistani women” – philanthropist Bilquis Edhi

“Woman can achieve more if they are supported by male family members. This gives them a lot of strength to achieve what they want in terms of the careers they want to adopt otherwise they will have to struggle for their rights. Women should be given the right to choose who they want to marry as even Islam gives them this right but in our society, parents force their daughters to marry against their will and sell them off like sheep and cattle. Women don’t even feel safe in public places. A mother should not be afraid to go to school to pick her children up. Women should have that freedom. If women don’t fight for their rights, they will keep on suffering and become victims of violence” – entrepreneur Ghazala Rahman

“I am a member of the Women Action Forum and I just want to say, we as people will have to get united and fight a war for our rights. We, the women, must work together and join hands for this noble cause” – educationist Naazish Attaullah

“On this day, I praise all the women of the world for their efforts and I applaud their struggle. We can only bring change if we keep fighting this war for liberation of women and play our part. Let’s keep fighting this war for our rights” – activist Nyla Naz

“On this day, let’s take a moment to reflect how we treat women around us. Speak to your loved ones, family members, friends and people who work with you and see if you can do anything for their betterment” – ASR Resource Centre Deputy Director Minahil Mehdi

“The war for women rights started some 100 years ago with socialist American and European women. This movement began with the notion that working women should have a specific day to raise voice for their freedom throughout the world” – ASR Executive Director Nighat Khan

“Women are architects of society; don’t let anyone know that just because you are women, you are weak. Women by definition are the voice of the nation” – architect Fauzia Qureshi

“Today is International Women’s Day and I would like to send a message of congratulations to Pakistani women who have struggled for the past 70 years, having achieved a lot of success and one female PM Benazir Bhutto. Pakistani women Zindabad” – entrepreneur and activist Nuscie Jamil

“Wishing all the women of the world and especially of Pakistan a very happy Women’s Day, a day of resolve and a day of renewing our resolve” – educationist Samina Rehman

“This day is dedicated to women and I don’t think it should be just one day as women need to be acknowledged the whole year for their struggle and hard work. We should stand up for our rights while keeping within the cultural norms and also maintaining our respect. If respect is lost, your struggle is lost. We have to include men in our struggle. We have to teach our sons to respect their mother, sisters and wives. We have educated the males in society to respect and honour women and understand the problems women face so they can help us in our struggle” – Masud Khaddarposh Trustee Shireen Masud

“I think every day should be Women’s Day and women should be confident and believe in themselves so they can be productive members of society. We live in a male-dominated society where men try to control women physically and emotionally and this is our tradition but women have really struggled and made progress despite these constraints. Because of their struggle, women can be found in all sectors as they contribute as productive members of society” – retired bureaucrat Talat Altaf

“A very happy Women’s Day to the readers of Daily Times. My message today is not just for women but for men as well. Women need to know how capable and powerful they are to move forward and to recognise their true potential. And men need to know that they should recognise the rights of women as deprivation of these rights can lead to an utter mess” – journalist Gharida Farooqi

“A day in a year is not enough to celebrate womanhood. Everyday can be your day; every day is your day. It all starts with self reorganization. Discover your talents, passions and capabilities and use them to reach your goals and contribute to the society that you live in. Value your time and use it to reach your destination. The initiative must be yours. The whole world will out there to help you if you take the first step in the right direction. Our country needs each one of you Happy Women’s Day,” – CEO and founder of Aero Engine Craft, Dr Sarah Qureshi.

“Parents should nourish their daughter in a way that she is able to inculcate self-confidence in her life” – politician Yasmin Rashid

“Our economy will not improve without women’s active participation and therefore economic independence of women is key for economic boom in a country. According to my experience, women are more active than men in politics. Female politicians are not able to get funds as easily as male politician do in the Punjab Assembly and this concept should be changed because we are also part of the House” – politician Hina Pervaiz Butt

Published in Daily Times, March 8^th  2019.