Aurat March in the federal capital concluded on Saturday after police stopped marchers from proceeding towards D-Chowk.
The federal police fearing law & order situation had made special security arrangements since morning of March 8 enhancing the number of security check posts at the entrance of the Red Zone.
The security was beefed up because a day before the march, the organizers of the Aurat March had announced to go ahead with their planned rally in the capital from the National Press Club (NPC) to D-Chowk despite not receiving formal permission from the administration.
“We will have our show outside the NPC as per previous years and will try to march towards D-Chowk to mark the International Women’s Day,” rights activist DrFarzana Bari had claimed.
As part of the rally, empty beds were placed on the protest ground, with signs attached reading “Women’s Rights” and “Democracy”, showing as if they had become non-extinct in the country.
Marchers also chanted slogans while beating drums and tambourines.
Simultaneously, a demonstration demanding the release of DrAafiaSiddiqui — a Pakistani neuroscientist serving a prison sentence in the US — took place at the same location as the Aurat March.
As the marchers attempted to move towards D-Chowk from the NPC, police called more troops and blocked the major roads.
As a result, the march was called off.
The march turned out to be a lively occasion with drums, music, bands and colourful posters and banners.
A large number of the national and international media representatives were covering the march while the leaders of the march were raising slogans for elimination of discriminatory laws against women.
We are half of the country’s total population but our representation in various government departments, business sector, police, health, judiciary and even Parliament is not in accordance with our population, said one of the speakers on the occasion and urged the government to undertake measures for a meaningful representation.
