Pak minister asks Imran Khan to ban 'Aurat March'

New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) Pakistans Federal Minister for Religious and Minority Affairs, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, has written to Prime Minister Imran Khan, urging him to put a ban on 'Aurat March' across the country, Geo News reported.Last year, Aurat March in Pakistan sparked outrage when alleged banners and videos of protesters chanting 'objectionable slogans' surfaced on social media. The organisers, on the other hand, labelled the videos as fake and anti-March propaganda, the report said.According to reports, Qadri suggested in the letter to Khan that March 8 be observed as 'International Hijab Day' rather than Aurat March.Qadri further stated that no one should be permitted to mock Islamic rituals, values, or the wearing of hijab on Women's Day by organising Aurat March or any other event, the report said.Every year on March 8, the world observes 'Women's Day', while women activists and other organisations in Pakistan refer to this day as Aurat March.Since its inception, the Aurat March has generated controversy due to its slogans and banners. The march's organisers have categorically stated that its objective is to educate women about their rights, and that it is also a protest against the country's rapidly increasing sexual and domestic violence, the report added.Meanwhile, Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Peoples Party's parliamentary leader, tweeted an image of Qadri's letter to the Prime Minister, terming it as 'astonishing'. "What will you prove by banning Aurat March," she asked.
--IANS san/arm

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