Protesters denounce KP Assembly, Lahore incidents

A protest was held outside the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday to denounce the humiliation and harassment of a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, and the attempted murder of a woman in Lahore for wearing a dress imprinted with the word ‘halwa’.

The protesters stressed that the two incidents prove that our society is completely in the grip of anti-women attitudes, while the state is being held hostage by these fanatical elements. They said peace and progress of society lie in women’s freedom and their recognition as equal human beings.

Referring to the KP assembly members verbally abusing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Sobia Shahid, they demanded that not only the harassers’ assembly membership but also their party membership be revoked, otherwise it would be understood that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as an organisation is equally responsible for the heinous act.

They also said that religious fanatics harassing a woman at a Lahore market and subjecting her to their misogynistic behaviour shows that the state’s policies and the support of religious fanaticism has created a stifling environment for women.

It also proves that women are not safe anywhere, including workplaces and public places, they added. They stressed that the indifference and helplessness of the law enforcement agencies can be gauged from the fact that despite the persons involved in the heinous crime having being identified, no arrests have been made.

National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) General Secretary Nasir Mansoor said that the attitude against female parliamentarians in the KP assembly is shameful. He said that action must be taken against the culprits.

The Home-Based Women Workers Federation’s (HBWWF) Zehra Abid said that measures must be taken to make women in society feel safe. She stressed that this can only be done if the culprits are punished.

The protest was jointly held by the HBWWF, the NTUF and other rights organisations, with Zehra leading the protest. Mahnaz Rahman, Anita Binjwani, Seema Maheshwari, Aqib Hussain, Sara Khan, Faiza Siddiqui, Ahsan Mehmood Advocate, Nooruddin Advocate, Iqbal Abro and Saira Feroze Khoro also spoke on the occasion.