At a press conference held at Islamabad’s National Press Club, Aurat March organizers urged the government to declare March 8, International Women’s Day, a national public holiday. Prominent activists, including Dr. Farzana Bari, Huda Burghari, Nishat Maryam, Zainab Jamil, and Jiya Jaggi, outlined a range of demands addressing gender rights, social justice, and environmental concerns.
The organizers called for the state to recognize gender-based violence as a national emergency, enforce strict laws against child marriage and violence, and fully implement the Transgender Rights Protection Act. They also demanded greater protections for religious minorities, fair access to employment, education, and healthcare, and amendments to blasphemy laws to prevent misuse. Additionally, they condemned restrictions on their peaceful gatherings and the challenges faced in obtaining official permissions for the march.
Further demands included halting the forced deportation of Afghan refugees, addressing enforced disappearances of human rights activists, journalists, and political dissidents, and revising environmentally harmful policies. The Aurat March organizers reaffirmed their commitment to an independent feminist movement advocating for equal rights and social justice in Pakistan.
