Women march in Pakistan to make their voices heard, seek justice

The collage shows a woman with her face painted with the slogan "Aurat Azad" (top left) in Karachi and protestors holding placards during Aurat March rallies in Karachi and Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (AN Photo/Social media)
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Updated 08 March 2022
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Women march in Pakistan to make their voices heard, seek justice

  • Aurat March has been attended by tens of thousands since March 2018 to mark International Women’s Day on March 8 
  • While opponents say the event has spread “vulgarity” and is anti-Islam, organizers say they are highlighting “real issues”

ISLAMABAD: Women from all walks of life gathered in Islamabad and other major cities in Pakistan on Tuesday for the country’s largest women’s rights event, the Aurat March. 
Aurat March, using the Urdu word for women, has been attended by tens of thousands since March 2018 to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. 
In the past, the march has been threatened by the Pakistani Taliban and there has been an uproar in conservative circles over slogans used at past events, including “My body, my choice”, “My body is not your battleground” and “Stop being menstrual phobic”. 




A protestor holds “My body, my choice” placard at Aurat March to mark the International Womens Day in Multan, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (Aurat March Organizers)

While opponents say the event has an agenda to spread “vulgarity” and is anti-Islam, organizers say they try to highlight “real issues” faced by women such as violence and sexual exploitation, and have faced a backlash, including murder and rape threats. 
This year too, the president of a major religious party, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), voiced opposition to Aurat March at a public gathering and threatened to stop the event with a “baton.” 
“Some religious parties threatened to attack us, organizing this march this year was not less than a war,” march organizer and prominent human rights activist Farzana Bari told Arab News at the march. “If we cannot gather and express ourselves even on women’s day then when it will be possible?” 
“It’s been 40 years I have been marching in the streets and I will not change it for anyone,” veteran rights activist Tahira Abdullah said. “We still came out to march. We are still demanding the exercise of our right of freedom of speech, assembly, and association.” 
Various city chapters of Aurat March have their own manifestos. The Karachi chapter this year focused on wages, security and peace, Lahore on reimagining justice, Multan on the education system and Islamabad on justice, security and freedom. 




People participate in "Aurat March" to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (AN Photo)

At the Aurat March venue in Islamabad, a counter-demonstration was held by the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan religious party, led largely by veiled women who said they also wanted equal pay, flexible work hours and free childcare but all rights had to comply with Islamic injunctions. 
“Jamaat-e-Islami is holding this rally to demand the rights provided by Islam to women as Pakistan is an Islamic country,” Ayesha Syed, an organizer of the counter-march, told Arab News. 
“Pakistani women are going through a lot of problems as they have been denied their right to education, they have health problems, forced marriages, and are denied due share in inheritance,” she added, “so we are here to demand all these rights, which the constitution of Pakistan has also granted us.” 




Women hold placards as they march during a rally to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (AFP)

In Karachi, the largest Pakistani metropolis, the march’s venue was changed from traditional Frere Hall to Jinnah Park, which resulted in lower number of participants but the gathering had representation from all segments of the society, from working women to fisherfolk, families of missing persons to anti-polio workers and religious minorities. 
The participants said the movement had gained momentum over the years and helped raise awareness regarding the rights of women in Pakistan. 




A protestor holds a placard supporting Baloch women at Aurat March to mark the International Womens Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (AN Photo)

Munawar Aslam, a working women from Landhi, said she participated in the march because her rights were usurped by demolishing her house in a recent anti-encroachment drive. 
“These are the women who are mostly impacted by the government’s actions but no one really cares about them. This march is for everyone,” she told Arab News, hoping the platform would help her get her rights. 
Rubina Bux, a fisherwoman from Korangi, said the march had provided an opportunity to raise voice for the rights of her underprivileged class. 
“This is a brilliant platform for the rights of women. It’s said that this march is the brainchild of the elite, which is totally wrong,” Bux said. “We don’t live in isolation, so when this march demands rights, we demand rights for all, including our men, who are poorly paid and have no jobs and life security.” 




People participate in "Aurat March" to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (AN Photo)

Fashion designer Frieha Altaf said the march had already brought about a “change.” 
“If we look at the women, you will find women in jeans and women in hijab and they have got together because their rights are the same,” Altaf told Arab News. 
“Why are these women here? Because they all face stereotypes, they all face harassment. Knowing and fighting for rights is very important.” 




Fashion designer Frieha Altaf (left) and her daughter participate in "Aurat March" to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8, 2022. (Social media)

In Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, the organizers said the march was a “huge success” as it attracted large crowds of women and transgender persons. 
Feminist tappay, a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music, and a play on the murders of transgender persons were the highlights from the march in Lahore. 
The organizers also came up with the idea of reminding v-loggers and a few journalists of their “sensationalized, misrepresented” coverage, which they said “harassed” the participants last year. 
“We have made cutouts of the YouTubers. The slogans in cutouts were taken out from their videos which we thought were spreading wrong news and where participants were harassed last year,” Hiba, an organizer, said. “We wanted to show them the face of their misreporting and harassment.” 
The participants marched from the Lahore Press Club till the PIA office. 
In Multan, the march, which began from Nawan Shehar Chowk Multan and ended at the Multan Press Club, was attended by several women, including rights activists Mukhtar Mai, Saleema Hashmi and Hina Jilani. 
Laiba, an organizer of the march, told Arab News women in southern Punjab had the same issues, which they faced elsewhere in the country. 
“In addition, women here also lag behind in the field of the education, which is why we thought education should be this year’s theme,” she said. “One cannot prosper without education.” 

 


In a first, Pakistan to host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams in 2026/27

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In a first, Pakistan to host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams in 2026/27

  • Zimbabwe to tour Pakistan in Apri-May 2025, New Zealand to tour country in April 2027
  • Pakistan will travel to South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in 2026 for cricket contests

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host New Zealand, Zimbabwe and England women’s cricket teams for the first time in 2026 and 2027, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said this week, saying that the tours were part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme 2025-29. 

Zimbabwe women’s team will tour Pakistan in April-May next year while New Zealand will be visiting the country in April 2027, the PCB said in a statement. The English women’s cricket team will tour Pakistan in October 2027 while Bangladesh will be the fourth side to tour the country in October 2028. 

“Pakistan will host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams for the first time as ICC announced Future Tours Programme 2025-29,” the PCB said in a press release on Monday. 

Eleven countries will participate in the fourth cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship being played from 2026-29 to directly qualify for the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2029, it said, adding that each team will compete against eight other teams in eight home and away matches. 

The fourth cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will be played from 2026-29, will see 11 sides taking part in the event for direct qualification to the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2029. 

In the Women’s Championship, each team will compete against eight other teams, following the format of four home and four away series, similar to the current edition. Across 44 series, a total of 132 ODIs will be played, with each series consisting of three matches.

“The Future Tour Programme will see an ICC Women’s tournament taking place every year, starting with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028,” the PCB added.

Pakistan will travel to South Africa in February 2026 and then play Sri Lanka in July of the same year as part of their away assignments, the board said. In November 2026, Pakistan will visit the West Indies while their final away series in the ICC Women’s Championship 2026-29 cycle will be in Ireland in June 2028.
 


Saudi Arabia, UAE invest $26.8 million in Pakistan in first quarter of current fiscal year

Updated 4 min 24 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia, UAE invest $26.8 million in Pakistan in first quarter of current fiscal year

  • Foreign investment surged by 48 percent in first quarter of current fiscal year
  • Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed agreements worth $2.8 billion last month

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign investment has surged by 48 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, state-run media reported on Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) contributing $26.8 million during the same period.

Pakistan formed the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a hybrid civil and military body, in 2023 to fast-track decisions related to foreign investment in its key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining, minerals, tourism and others. The development took place as Pakistan grappled with a prolonged economic crisis that almost led the country to suffer a sovereign default before a critical $3 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year averted the crisis.

As per a breakdown shared by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, China invested $404 million during the first quarter of the current fiscal year while Saudi Arabia’s investment was recorded at $ 1.8 million. The UAE, meanwhile, invested $25 million, Hong Kong $98 million, the United Kingdom $72 million and the United States $28 million in the same period, the state broadcaster said.

“A significant increase of forty eight percent has been seen in foreign investment in Pakistan in the first quarter of current fiscal year, reflecting the effective strategies of the Special Investment Facilitation Council,” Radio Pakistan said.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week, where he held talks with the leadership of the two countries on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and energy. Pakistani and Saudi businesses had signed 27 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $2.2 billion in October. During Sharif’s visit to the kingdom last week, the two countries agreed to enhance that figure to $2.8 billion.

Meanwhile, the UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States. It is also an ideal export destination for the South Asian nation as the short distance between the two countries limits transportation costs and facilitates commercial exchanges.

Sharif has actively pursued economic diplomacy in the region in recent months, seeking more investments and enhancing trade and regional connectivity for Pakistan. The South Asian country has sought to leverage its position as a transit and trade hub connecting landlocked Central Asian countries with the rest of the world and also pushed for mutually beneficial economic partnerships with Gulf countries.


Security guard shoots and injures two Chinese nationals at Karachi factory — police

Updated 15 min 50 sec ago
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Security guard shoots and injures two Chinese nationals at Karachi factory — police

  • Incident follows two Chinese nationals killed in suicide bombing in Karachi last month
  • Beijing has recently publicly spoken out about security threats to its nationals in Pakistan

KARACHI: A security guard at a factory in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi shot and injured two Chinese nationals on Tuesday, police said, in an incident that is likely to put further strain on recently fraying relations between Islamabad and longtime ally Beijing.

China, breaking with tradition, has recently publicly spoken out against security threats to its workers and nationals living in Pakistan, where hundreds of them work on Beijing-funded projects linked to the over $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

Last month, two Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing near the international airport in Karachi. In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in the country. In 2022, three Chinese educators and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through a van at the University of Karachi. A blast on a bus killed 13 people in north Pakistan in 2021, including nine Chinese nationals.

The latest shooting took place at a factory in Karachi’s SITE industrial area, after which two injured Chinese citizens were rushed to Liaquat National Hospital.

Deputy Inspector General of Police South, Syed Asad Raza, said the factory guard opened fire at the Chinese nationals after an argument. He did not name the factory, specify whether the Chinese nationals were employees there or what the argument was about. 

“According to preliminary investigation, the guard opened fire after a heated argument with the Chinese nationals, leaving two Chinese citizens injured,” Raza told Arab News. 

“Two Chinese nationals have been brought to hospital. Both are under treatment,” Dr. Amjad Rizvi, a hospital spokesman, told Arab News. 

Sindh Home Minister Zia ul Haq Lanjar has directed police to conduct a “thorough investigation,” his office said. 

Pakistan said in a joint statement last month it had agreed to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the South Asian nation, as Beijing called for urgent security measures following an escalation in militant threats in the country.

China has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years building infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, while also running a strategic port and a major mine in the country.


Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

Updated 05 November 2024
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Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

  • Punjab government has blamed pollution wafting in from India for Lahore’s worsening air quality 
  • Authorities in Punjab have taken emergency measures in wake of unprecedented pollution levels

NEW DELHI: A toxic smog shrouded the Indian capital on Tuesday, driving air quality in some areas into the “severe” range ahead of winter, when cold air traps pollutants and brings a spike in respiratory illnesses.

The mix of smoke, emissions, and dust is an annual problem for authorities in New Delhi, with vehicles, construction dust, and smoke from farm fires in the adjoining northern states of Punjab and Haryana among the major contributors.

“The outlook for the subsequent six days: the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category,” said the earth sciences ministry.

The city’s overall score on an air quality index kept by India’s top pollution authorities was ‘very poor’ at 384, the ministry added, and was likely to stay there until Thursday.

An index range of 401 to 500 falls into the ‘severe’ category, implying it affects healthy people, but is more serious for those already fighting disease.

Ministry data showed farm fires have increasingly swelled the pollution over the last three days, for a share of more than 23 percent on Monday, from about 15 percent on Saturday.

About a third of the city’s 39 monitoring stations showed a ‘severe’ score of more than 400 on Tuesday, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), well short of an air quality score of zero to 50 that it rates as ‘good’.

Swiss group IQAir also rated Delhi the world’s second most polluted city on Tuesday, after Lahore in neighboring Pakistan, where authorities also took emergency measures in the wake of Sunday’s unprecedented pollution levels.

The government in the eastern province of Punjab, home to Lahore, has blamed deteriorating air quality on pollution wafting in from India, an issue it has vowed to take up with its neighbor through the foreign ministry.


Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

Updated 05 November 2024
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Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

  • The business-to-business meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics
  • Pakistan is seeking to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy

ISLAMABAD: Representatives of more than two dozen Pakistani companies and over one hundred leading Uzbek enterprises met in Tashkent and discussed joint projects in diverse sectors, the Pakistani commerce ministry said on Monday.

The discussions took place at the Uzbek-Pakistani Business Forum, complementing the 9th intergovernmental commission meeting on economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, according to the Pakistani ministry.

These business-to-business (B2B) meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics, underscoring the shared commitment of both nations to explore collaborative business opportunities.

Addressing the forum, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan highlighted Pakistan’s investment-friendly environment and encouraged Uzbek businesses to consider collaborative projects in Pakistan.

"He emphasized that such interactions pave the way for deepened commercial ties and contribute to regional economic stability," the commerce ministry said.

Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov echoed these sentiments, welcoming Pakistani enterprises and emphasizing the Uzbek government’s commitment to fostering a supportive atmosphere for international partnerships.

"Initiatives like the Business Forum play a crucial role in propelling trade and investment forward, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs," he was quoted as saying.

The development comes as Pakistan seeks to enhance regional connectivity with landlocked Central Asian states by providing them access to its warm water ports. It recently offered Central Asian states to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, under which Beijing has pledged around $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan.

The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year and has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.