1983 women's march, Lahore: Difference between revisions
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According to [[Farida Shaheed]], it was the idea of activist [[Hina Jilani]] to reach the Lahore Highcourt premises in small groups of two to three persons. However, Hall road was cordoned off by the police. At Hall Road, [[Habib Jalib]] started reading his poetry and meanwhile one of the protesters, Mubaraka, of the [[Democratic Women's Association]] managed to slip through the cordon and signaled other activists to follow her. The police tear gassed and baton-charged the protestors. [[Madeeha Gauhar]] was hit by a baton and many of the protesting women were arrested.<ref name=":1" /> |
According to [[Farida Shaheed]], it was the idea of activist [[Hina Jilani]] to reach the Lahore Highcourt premises in small groups of two to three persons. However, Hall road was cordoned off by the police. At Hall Road, [[Habib Jalib]] started reading his poetry and meanwhile one of the protesters, Mubaraka, of the [[Democratic Women's Association]] managed to slip through the cordon and signaled other activists to follow her. The police tear gassed and baton-charged the protestors. [[Madeeha Gauhar]] was hit by a baton and many of the protesting women were arrested.<ref name=":1" /> |
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According to Ayesha Khan, the prime cause for the demonstration was the proposed law of evidence, which intended to reduce the value of testimony of women to half of that of men.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Ayesha |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1109390555 |title=The women's movement in Pakistan : activism, Islam and democracy |date=2018 |isbn=978-1-78673-523-2 |location=London |oclc=1109390555}}</ref> According to [[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]], this cause was in addition to the [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|General Zia regime]] 's moves to reduce women's rights using Pakistan's Sharia laws which were called the [[Hudood Ordinances|Hudood ordinances]].<ref name=":1" /> According to Sehrish Ali, it was the first such public demonstration by any group under the martial law of General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Muhammad Zia Ul Haq]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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According to Ian Talbot, the clergy Ulama declared the women's protest as an act of apostasy for not being as per scriptural mandate.<ref name="talbot-281-halfwomen">{{cite book |last1=Talbot |first1=Ian |url=https://archive.org/details/pakistanmodernhi00talb |title=Pakistan, a Modern History |date=1998 |publisher=St.Martin's Press |location=NY |page=[https://archive.org/details/pakistanmodernhi00talb/page/281 281] |url-access=registration}}</ref> According to [[Anis Haroon]], when they held solidarity demonstrations at [[Jinnah Mausoleum]] in Karachi against the treatment given to women at the Lahore March, the police did not beat them but ''[[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|molvis]]'' were said to have annulled [[nikah]] (marriages) of the participants in the demonstrations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mujahid Hussain |first=Nida |title=National Women’s Day 2020: Karachi event discusses measures to end gender-based violence |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/272074-national-womens-day-2020-karachi-event-discusses-measures-to-end-gender-based-violence |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=www.geo.tv |language=en}}</ref> Talbot says when women contested misinterpretations of the clergy the Ulama rejected their competence in interpreting the Islamic scripture for the women being trained in western law also.<ref name="talbot-281-halfwomen" /> |
According to Ian Talbot, the clergy Ulama declared the women's protest as an act of apostasy for not being as per scriptural mandate.<ref name="talbot-281-halfwomen">{{cite book |last1=Talbot |first1=Ian |url=https://archive.org/details/pakistanmodernhi00talb |title=Pakistan, a Modern History |date=1998 |publisher=St.Martin's Press |location=NY |page=[https://archive.org/details/pakistanmodernhi00talb/page/281 281] |url-access=registration}}</ref> According to [[Anis Haroon]], when they held solidarity demonstrations at [[Jinnah Mausoleum]] in Karachi against the treatment given to women at the Lahore March, the police did not beat them but ''[[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|molvis]]'' were said to have annulled [[nikah]] (marriages) of the participants in the demonstrations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mujahid Hussain |first=Nida |title=National Women’s Day 2020: Karachi event discusses measures to end gender-based violence |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/272074-national-womens-day-2020-karachi-event-discusses-measures-to-end-gender-based-violence |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=www.geo.tv |language=en}}</ref> Talbot says when women contested misinterpretations of the clergy the Ulama rejected their competence in interpreting the Islamic scripture for the women being trained in western law also.<ref name="talbot-281-halfwomen" /> |
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Revision as of 02:53, 6 May 2022
On 12 February 1983 a women's march led by Women's Action Forum (WAF) and Punjab Women Lawyers Association assembled at Mall road in Lahore to proceed toward Lahore High Court in Pakistan to protest against the discriminatory Law of Evidence and other Hudood Ordinances. The marchers were tear gassed and baton charged by police injuring many women. 50 of the marchers were arrested for defying the then prohibition of public assembly.[1][2][3][4]
Baton-charge incidence
According to Farida Shaheed, it was the idea of activist Hina Jilani to reach the Lahore Highcourt premises in small groups of two to three persons. However, Hall road was cordoned off by the police. At Hall Road, Habib Jalib started reading his poetry and meanwhile one of the protesters, Mubaraka, of the Democratic Women's Association managed to slip through the cordon and signaled other activists to follow her. The police tear gassed and baton-charged the protestors. Madeeha Gauhar was hit by a baton and many of the protesting women were arrested.[4]
According to Ayesha Khan, the prime cause for the demonstration was the proposed law of evidence, which intended to reduce the value of testimony of women to half of that of men.[5] According to Dawn, this cause was in addition to the General Zia regime 's moves to reduce women's rights using Pakistan's Sharia laws which were called the Hudood ordinances.[4] According to Sehrish Ali, it was the first such public demonstration by any group under the martial law of General Muhammad Zia Ul Haq.[1]
According to Ian Talbot, the clergy Ulama declared the women's protest as an act of apostasy for not being as per scriptural mandate.[6] According to Anis Haroon, when they held solidarity demonstrations at Jinnah Mausoleum in Karachi against the treatment given to women at the Lahore March, the police did not beat them but molvis were said to have annulled nikah (marriages) of the participants in the demonstrations.[7] Talbot says when women contested misinterpretations of the clergy the Ulama rejected their competence in interpreting the Islamic scripture for the women being trained in western law also.[6]
Prominent participants
Media coverage in February 1983
According to the Taimur-ul-Hassan study, in 1983 Pakistani media coverage largely projected women's protest as negative, emphasizing on stereotypical gender roles for women in Muslim society.[9]
The Taimur-ul-Hassan study says, except for few newspapers like The Muslim, the rest of media coverage mainly included anti-women negative clichés and rhetoric. The government-run NPT newspapers and also private news papers like Daily Nawa-i-Waqt were negative towards empowered women’s role.[9]
The research study observed a total of 42 stories, out of which 16 were supportive and 26 non supportive. The supportive statements in the media coverage in favor of women rights and Women Action Forum’s movement included statements like ‘ women have been given all rights by the Constitution’, ‘women should play their role in all fields’, ‘Hadd laws are anti-women’, ‘ women should not be the targets of biased laws’. [9]
The Taimur-ul-Hassan study says, The ‘ non–supportive’, or the statements were not in favor of women empowerment in then Pakistani media were like ‘Islam does not permit women to go out of house’, ‘ Women’s best role is in their homes’, ‘women organizations are spreading vulgarity’, ‘women rights organizations are anti-Islam’ and other prejudicial statements. "[9]
The research study says, out of 26 negative stories published in four newspapers, 21 were the negative statements, indicating instead of playing a proactive role in highlighting the issue of women empowerment, the policy of the newspapers’ relied on discouragement of women.[9] In some cases women's concerns were reported but then neutralized with critical statements against protesting women.[9]
The Taimur-ul-Hassan study says supportive statements in media informed that Pakistan's constitution provides for rights for women, ‘women can play their role in all fields’, ‘Hadd laws are anti-women and women interests should not be the attacked through biased laws’. The Taimur-ul-Hassan study says negative media coverage included statements like ‘ Islam does not permit women to go out of house and that women’s best role is in their houses’, ‘women organizations are anti-Islamic and spread vulgarity’, and other such prejudicial rhetoric.[9]
The Taimur-ul-Hassan study says, Pakistan's print media, Government controlled and private, was heavily pressured by the agenda driven biased gate keeping of the General Zia Ul Haq regime through agencies like the National Press Trust.[9] Daily Mashriq and the Pakistan Times were owned by the National Press Trust itself. The Muslim Nawa-i-Waqt, In The Muslim 5, The Pakistan Times 7, Daily Jang 14 and Mashriq 16 a total of 42 stories were studied by Taimur-ul-Hassan study, they found while 16 news stories were appreciative of women's struggle while 26 news stories had a negative tilt against women's movement.[9]
Legacy
Pakistan's National Women's Day is annually observed on February 12 to mark the first women's march in Pakistan which was on 12 February 1983.
Bibliography
- Imran, Rahat. Activist Documentary Film in Pakistan: The Emergence of a Cinema of Accountability. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2016.
- Khan, Ayesha. The Women's Movement in Pakistan: Activism, Islam and Democracy. United Kingdom, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.
- Weiss, Anita M.. Interpreting Islam, Modernity, and Women's Rights in Pakistan. United Kingdom, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Page 49.
- Omvedt, Gail. “Women in Governance in South Asia.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 40, no. 44/45, 2005, pp. 4746–52, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4417361.
- Imran, R. (2005) 'Legal injustices: The Zina Hudood Ordinance of Pakistan and its implications for women', Journal of International Women's Studies, 7(2), pp. 78–100
- Jalal, A. (1991). The Convenience of Subservience: Women and the State of Pakistan. In: Kandiyoti, D. (eds) Women, Islam and the State. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21178-4_4
- Korson, J. Henry, and Michelle Maskiell. “Islamization and Social Policy in Pakistan: The Constitutional Crisis and the Status of Women.” Asian Survey, vol. 25, no. 6, 1985, pp. 589–612, https://doi.org/10.2307/2644377.
- Women's Movements in Asia: Feminisms and Transnational Activism. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2010. Page 167
References
- ^ a b Ali, Sehrish (2012-02-10). "National Women's Day: 'We will raise our voices against discrimination'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "National Women's Day: Struggle for equal rights will go on". The Express Tribune. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "Women's achievements highlighted at event to mark National Women's Day". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ a b c Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (2019-02-13). "Women remember iconic 1983 demo, vow to fight oppression". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ Khan, Ayesha (2018). The women's movement in Pakistan : activism, Islam and democracy. London. ISBN 978-1-78673-523-2. OCLC 1109390555.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Talbot, Ian (1998). Pakistan, a Modern History. NY: St.Martin's Press. p. 281.
- ^ Mujahid Hussain, Nida. "National Women's Day 2020: Karachi event discusses measures to end gender-based violence". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ Naqvi, Hassan (2014-02-11). "National Women's Day: Memoirs of trailblazing activists". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hassan, Taimur-ul (July–December 2010). "The Performance of Press During Women Movement in Pakistan". South Asian Studies (A Research Journal of South Asian Studies). 25 (2): 311–321 – via eds.p.ebscohost.com.