Why Aurat March is in February?

This year the Aurat March Lahore will be held on February 12th - Pakistan's National Women's Day - with the theme 'Feminist History'. The march is meant to pay tribute to the feminist struggle in the country in the past and at present.

In Pakistan, February 12 is a milestone in the women's rights movement. On this day in 1983, a public demonstration was organised against the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul Haq by Women's Action Forum (WAF) and Pakistan Women Lawyers' Association (PWLA). The demonstration was meant to protest the law of evidence - which would reduce the testimony of women to half that of men - and to file a petition against it in Lahore Hight Court.

Recalling the demonstration, Khawar Mumtaz, a WAF member and former Chairperson of National Commission on the Status of Women, says: "Section 144 had been imposed. So we planned to reach the high court in small groups of twos and threes. When we reached Hall Road, we saw that police had cordoned off the road so that we could not get ahead. Habib Jalib began reciting his poetry and suddenly one protester slipped through the barriers. Soon there were clouds of teargas all around, and the police started baton-charging the demonstrators. Many women were pulled to the police station and locked up. We sang revolutionary songs in the police station, prepared a press statement, and made it possible that it got out."

In 1980s, the state made effective use of religious forces to achieve its objectives. It quietened political parties, imposed censorship on the press and academia, and banned students and trade unions. However, the February 12, 1983 demonstration became a symbol of women's resistance to all forms of oppression as well as their belief in an equal, equitable and just democratic order.

Neelam Hussain, another WAF member and Executive Coordinator of Simorgh Women's Resource and Publication Centre, recalls the time when WAF was formed after the Fehmida/Allah Bux case. Neelam says that WAF was - and still is - a voice against all sorts of injustices. WAF strongly remonstrated against the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1990; it protested against the separate electorate system and the inclusion of the religion section in the national identity card; and launched the Joint Action Committee for People's Rights in 1986. "We were very political. However, the young feminists are trying to link personal to the political; and I appreciate their courageous efforts," she elaborates.

The renewed Aurat March Movement, having the motto of ending patriarchy, got momentum in 2018. The advocates of the movement faced a huge backlash, as they called upon the state and society to consider women as equal citizens; conceive pro-women policies and laws; and ensure civic spaces for females. Aurat marchers say, "We resist to live; we march to transform."

Hadia, an Aurat March Lahore volunteer, while describing the Aurat March 2025 objective, says, "First, we want to highlight that we stand on the shoulders of many feminist foremothers. Second, we want to resist the erasure of women, transgender people, and resistance movement from our histories. Third, but sadly, so many issues that we are agitating for today - harassment, safety from violence, respect for bodily autonomy, dignified labour, freedom of religion, free speech, resisting censorship and respect for democratic values and processes - are not new. We remind the state and society that we must march towards progress!"

Nadia, another volunteer of Aurat March, speaks out, "Celebrating each other's struggle is important, since we need to keep the hope alive. So those who come after us see the beauty of feminist resistance. Our feminist history teaches us not only conflict and anger, but also how to bring joy and hope in movements. This Aurat March is a small step towards archiving feminist movements."

The Aurat March 2025 is to honour the past and celebrate the present of feminist history. Those who believe in equal rights and democracy should join this March on 12th February to mark the 1983's historic protest on Lahore's Mall Road when women bravely stood against tyrannical state, protesting against Zia's draconian laws.