ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) turned down Amun Taraqqi Party’s (ATP) petition challenging the permission granted for the holding of Aurat March at F-9 Park.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq on Wednesday heard the petition and termed it non-maintainable after hearing the arguments of the petitioner’s counsel.
Chairman ATP Muhammad Faiq Shah in his petition contended that Aurat March scheduled to be held on 08.03.2023 is provocative and undermining to Islamic and social norms, thus, the NOC granted it be cancelled.
The petition stated that Islamabad deputy commissioner (DC) had allowed the National Commission on Status of Women on March 2 to hold the march at F-9 Park on Wednesday. He requested the court that the DC’s permission may be revoked and that the organisers be directed to not violate the “injunctions of Islam [and] Islamic way of life while holding Aurat March”.
Shah challenged the permission claiming that the march would “not only spoil the basic family structure of an Islamic state but also promote vulgarity”. He further argued that March 8 also coincided with the “Holy day of Shab Barat” (a religious occasion observed by Muslims), implying that the coinciding events could for reasons unexplained not be observed simultaneously.
During the hearing, Advocate Abbasi said that according to Article 2 (Islam to be state religion) of the Constitution, the state’s religion is Islam. He said that the district administration Islamabad had also ignored Article-16 (freedom of assembly) while granting permission of the said march. He said that objectionable sentences used to be written on placards carried by the marchers.
At this, the IHC chief justice said that banners and placards are a matter of the past. He further raised the question that has freedom of assembly (Article 16) of the Constitution not given them (women) this right (to march)? Advocate Abbasi responded that there have been some restrictions imposed on freedom of assembly (article 16). He added that such a thing is not possible in an Islamic state.
On the completion of the advocate’s argument, the IHC bench reserved its verdict and later dismissed the petition by terming it as non-maintainable.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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