Pakistani Women's Day march organizers reject 'baseless' blasphemy accusations

ISLAMABAD: The Aurat Azadi March Islamabad criticized a lower court in Peshawar on Friday for instructing the police to lodge a complaint against its members after a group of lawyers accused them of making "derogatory remarks" against the sacred figures of Islam during a demonstration held earlier this month.
"To accept such a vile and baseless petition is to subject women involved in any way with Aurat Azadi March Islamabad to unspeakable danger," the group said in a media statement.
The Aurat March is an annual event that is held across Pakistan to observe International Women's Day on March 8.
The pro-woman rallies have faced a backlash from conservative forces since they first began in 2018, though this is the first time such blasphemy allegations have been leveled against them after some tampered video clips of the demonstration emerged on social media platforms in which the participants were shown to be raising anti-Islam slogans.
"It is common knowledge that arousing religious passions in Pakistan is akin to issuing a death warrant," the statement said, "and the Sessions Court order is fanning the flames of a fire that threatens to engulf women who have committed no crime other than speak for their own and the rights of women, girls and oppressed peoples throughout this country."
The Aurat Azadi March also pointed out that several government functionaries, including Prime Minister's Advisor on Religious Affairs Tahir Ashrafi and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, clearly called for inquiries and action against the elements responsible for sharing doctored content online and spreading false allegations against the group.
"That a court of law has issued an order to lodge an FIR after all these efforts is extremely disturbing, and suggests ambivalence in the state's attitude," the statement noted.
It added that the group had written an open letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan to demand a stern action against those who were spreading "baseless lies" against its members.
"We demand that the PM [prime minister] and CJ [chief justice] publicly come out in our support and take action against the elements which continue peddling hatred and lies and subjecting countless women to grave danger," the statement concluded.