Daily Times

The Federal Minister Noorul Haq Qadri’s letter to the prime minister is problematic on so, so many levels, the most basic of which is his opposition to Aurat March. That a group of women stepping into the open to demand their due share in the society makes a large class of men who identify as champions of patriarchy lose their marbles is a tale as old as time. However, the celebration becoming a turbocharged movement determined to raise voice against every affliction, every thorn in the path, every glass ceiling and every sticky floor could only be a reality in this technologically-driven world where social media (even more importantly, social media activism) tries to touch a raw nerve every now and then. The religious affairs minister cannot be denied his right to enjoy his view no matter how conservative–rather downright destructive–they may seem but attaching the notion of Hijab as an antithesis to a countrywide movement can hardly be expected to bring any constructive contribution to the table. Either he conveniently looked the other way when cherry-picking the plight of Muslim women forced to choose between their religion and education, or more worryingly, he does not believe in taking a look within. Coming up with a senseless defence of whatever tragic goes right underneath his nose is quite unbecoming of both a state representative as well as a leading voice of religion.

Meanwhile, the onus also lies on the main organisers of Aurat March to keep a check on the content of some of their slogans. Yes, there is no dearth of issues that demand the utmost attention of the authorities and society alike. But watering down the impact with some meaningless placards that do little but add to the colourful headlines is a futile exercise. *