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.
Pakistani Women's Day march organizers reject 'baseless' blasphemy accusations
https://arab.news/bpvhy
Pakistani Women's Day march organizers reject 'baseless' blasphemy accusations
- A group of Peshawar-based lawyers accused the march organizers of making 'derogatory remarks' against Islam in a complaint
- The organizers of the march condemn people 'peddling hatred and lies' while demanding public support from the prime minister and chief justice
Kazakhstan offers to finance rail link to Pakistan ports via Afghanistan
- Kazakh envoy says country ready to fully fund Central Asia-Pakistan rail corridor
- Project revives Pakistan’s regional connectivity push despite Afghan border disruptions
ISLAMABAD: Kazakhstan has offered to fully finance a proposed railway linking Central Asia to Pakistan’s ports via Afghanistan, according to a media report, a move that could revive long-stalled regional connectivity plans and deepen Pakistan’s role as a transit hub for landlocked economies.
The proposal would connect Kazakhstan to Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, providing Central Asia with direct access to warm waters and offering Pakistan a long-sought overland trade corridor to the region.
“We are not asking Pakistan for a single penny,” Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, said in an interview with Geo News on Tuesday. “This is not aid. It is a mutually beneficial investment.”
Pakistan has for years sought to position itself as a gateway for Central Asian trade, offering its ports to landlocked economies as part of a broader strategy to integrate South and Central Asia.
However, its ambition has faced setbacks, most recently in October last year when border skirmishes with Afghanistan prompted Islamabad to shut key crossings, suspending transit and bilateral trade.
Kistafin said the rail project would treat Afghanistan not as an obstacle but as a transit partner, arguing that trade and connectivity could help stabilize the country.
“Connectivity creates responsibility,” he said. “Trade creates incentives for peace.”
Under the proposed plan, rail cargo would move from Kazakhstan through Turkmenistan to western Afghanistan before entering Pakistan at Chaman and linking with the national rail network.
Geo News reported the Afghan segment, spanning about 687 kilometers, is expected to take roughly three years to build once agreements are finalized, with Kazakhstan financing the project.
