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The Aurat March is an annual political demonstration organised in various cities of Pakistan. 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Pakistani womxn organised Aurat March across various cities in Pakistan. The Aurat March is organized under the banner of “Hum Auratain” (we women), an umbrella term for a collective of feminist women, transgender individuals, nonbinary persons, and gender and sexual minorities who stand against the patriarchal structures that result in the sexual, economic, and structural exploitation of women.

It all started two years ago when a couple of feminist groups from Karachi decided to hold a march on International Women’s Day, 8th March. Nighat Dad, the founder of Digital Rights Foundation and one of the organisers of the march in Lahore wrote, “The agenda of the march was to demand resources and dignity for women, for the transgender community, for religious minorities, and those on the economic margins, but more importantly, to acknowledge that women’s emancipation is inherently linked with improvement of all mistreated groups and minorities”.

According to the ‘Hum Auratain’ collective manifesto, there was no NGO or corporate funding and no political party alliance. It demands economic justice including implementation of labour rights, the Sexual Harassment against Women in the Workplace Act 2010, recognition of women’s input to the ‘care economy’ as unpaid labour and provision of maternity leaves and day care centres to ensure women’s inclusion in the labour force. It also demands environmental justice.

Women’s right to climate justice and resilience must be recognised and ensured, it said, access to safe drinking water, safe and clean air, protection of animals and wildlife, including cessation to the culling of stray dogs, and ensuring and protecting women’s food sovereignty, and recognition of women’s participation in the production of food and cash crops.

Other points in the manifesto included accountability and restorative justice against violence, access to a fair justice system, the inclusion of women with disabilities, the inclusion of transgender community, reproductive justice, access to public spaces including transport services and clean public toilets, inclusion in educational institutions, etc.

Then there were the more sedate messages. Five coffins were placed at one end of the park, with chilling signs stuck to them. ‘Honour Killing’, Transgender Killings’, ‘Child Victims’, ‘Domestic Workers/Polio Workers murdered’, and ‘Domestic Violence’ – a reminder of why women are killed every day.

The rally, organised by a collective called ‘Hum Auratain’ was huge and held in different cities – Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Hyderabad.

 

Feature Image Credits: Zuneera Shah for Dawn

Paridhi Puri

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Mandi House Metro Station turns out to be a quintessential hotspot for every history-forager as a photo-exhibition on the 1947 Partition opens the door to a far-off reality.

 After a long day at college, one might want to escape the exasperation and break away from the monotony of metro journeys. Here is some respite- get off at Mandi House, take the escalator and find yourself in the world of others’ reality, learn what happened during the partition.

Further, here’s the answer to every “Why should I go to the exhibit?”:

One knows more about the “What?” and “Why?” of the partition, but it’s time to delve into the “How?” of the partition.

There exists a different 1947 and independence in many hearts, away from the rejoiced call of freedom and the attainment of autonomy. “I was traumatised. I was standing there, not knowing what is happening. He- the gunman- was only ten feet away…. he shot at me few times… He missed (everytime). So I started running, ” expresses Ali Shan. Zafar Afaq Ansari further quotes, “I feel like I am a bottled plant, a bottle can be kept here… here… I have no roots.”

According to the 1947 Partition Archives, the Partition gave way to the world’s largest mass human displacement as nearly 1,50,00,000 people associated to the basic need of shelter as a luxury. These affected lives found no place in the public archives, hence 1947 Archive’s creation is a multidimensional textbook.

It introduces and harnesses the latent power of Citizen Historians, comprising of volunteer movement. History bids farewell to lousy lectures as 500 people from over 20 countries become historians, with 1000 interviews in 9 languages- history becomes everybody’s story.

Learn about Usha Bhardwaj’s anarchical holiday in Kashmir and her memories of almost leaving her brother behind on the platform.

Read about Paramjit Kaur Dhanao’s life during the Partition as she narrates her struggle of being separated from friends and family due to borders.

Witness the clenching of jaw as Narinder Kaur Oberoi tells the readers about an incident where a father had to kill his own daughter, fearing the brutality along the borders the awaited their journey, and as Gopi Bhatia mentions the month long communication snap from her father during the period of severe rioting.

Abdus Salam, Adarsh Saran, Puran Dang, Mohinder Singh Chadha and many more have their stories along the walls of Mandi House Metro Station, making its readers rethink the idea of ‘celebrating’ 15th August and wonder how lines along landmass affect lives.

 Image Credit: www.1947partitionarchive.org

Priyanshi Banerjee

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“I am Indian. Then why is the government sending me into Exile?’, ‘Can the world’s largest democracy endure another five years of Modi Government’? A writer puts forth two questions for the world, but perhaps one is the answer to another question itself. 

“A citizen’s right to liberty is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. It is a fundamental right granted under the Constitution and can’t be infringed upon by the state,” as declared by the Supreme Court of India in the Prashant Kanojia case, who was allegedly detained by the UP Police for making remarks against the State’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

The aforementioned lines were stated by Justice(s) Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi bench and certainly provides a sacred safeguard to the citizens and their rights, as guaranteed by the Constitution of India against the state that may attempt to vandalise the freedom of expression and establish a ‘fascist’ regime in the country. But perhaps the Government has paved a way for itself to pursue its objectives of a rashtra, suited to their ideas and philosophies by revoking the very status of this ‘citizenship’ itself and abstaining the people of being one in the first place. The National Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is anyway extremely kind towards a specific section of the society, the disavowal of riter Aatish Ali Taseer’s Indian Nationality is more than an extension of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. 

Raised in the national capital by his Sikh mother and acclaimed journalist Tavleen Singh, Taseer rose to prominence with his debut Novel, “Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey Through Islamic Lands” which can be seen as an introspective review of his status as a Muslim. He may even be recalled as the person who hosted Sir Salman Rushdie, when he returned to India after a long exile, but he will mostly be remembered as the author of TIME magazine’s May 2019 cover story that referred to Prime Minister Modi as ‘India’s Divider in Chief’, ahead of the 2019 General Elections. 

Following the release of the story, the entire social media was set ablaze, with responses from both the sides taking stark turns. The Modi Supporters started raising the issue of Taseer’s parenthood, especially with regard to his father who was a Pakistani politician; given our contempt for the country and Aatish’s identity, the claims were preferred by many and was furthered by ensuring that Taseer bewails his acts. But rather Taseer was empowered more than ever challenging the fanatic frenzy. 

According to Taseer, he received a letter from the Home Ministry, Government of India, stating that they are reviewing his Overseas Citizenship of India status in September this year. To this, he duly responded by resisting against the claims made by the Government of India within 24 hours. But it was only on November 7, when the government actually abolished Taseer’s citizenship leaving him in certain ‘exile’. 

What is interesting here is that all these years Taseer has lived in this country without ever being questioned about his citizenship. Although the recent developments in the country have reviewed the idea of nationalism, something of this kind is really concerning and hints towards a state that perhaps cannot accommodate dissent in anyway. 

While the government says that its revoking of Taseer’s status is solely because he did hide the fact that his father was a Pakistani, the father who is being referred here is assassinated Pakistan Governor Salman Taseer, who was nowhere in Aatish’s early life, and is a relation which further receded away because of their distinct nationalities. 

While the government seemed adamant in their stance, Taseer has now been joined by more than 260 writers, journalists and artists, including Margaret Atwood, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie, Chimamanda Adichie, Perumal Murugan and Amitav Ghosh, who have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reviewing its decision to repeal writer Aatish Taseer’s Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) and allow an uninterrupted travel for him in India. This has brought the Government in a screened position, and the revocation will now have larger implications in the academic domain with the status of people of such political sagacity under question. The story has now garnered worldwide support and coverage and hence the Government needs to be extremely meticulous in its decision for the best of Taseer. 

Feature Image Credits: Aatish Taseer via Instagram

Faizan Salik

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The Indian Hockey League found itself in the midst of a controversy due to its move of releasing the nine Hockey Players that had come from Pakistan, thereby denying them the opportunity to play in the Indian Hockey League 2013. Such a move has found its bedrock in the recent tension that has erupted on Indo Pak borders, due to yet another ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following mutilation of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistani soldiers.

Narinder Batra, the secretary General of Hockey India said,”All have approved this decision. The contract money for 2013 will be paid in full to the Pakistani players and HI stands are committed in guaranteeing the same.” The Secretary General also said that the franchisees that had the Pakistani players would be given time and opportunity to find replacements in their teams.

The Shiv sena had earlier threatened to vandalise the stadiums if the Pakistani players took to the stadiums and were allowed to play. However, the HI federation clearly maintains that their decision was not an impulsive reaction to the threats of an organization but a decision in which all top executive members sat down and discussed the intensity of the situation and the hurt sentiments of the nation.

This move of the HI federation has found both bouquets and brickbats. Aruna of Hindu college says, “Its absolutely the right thing to do. When Indian artists go to Pakistan, they are never treated with respect. Pakistan has no respect for India. Why should we be the meek cats always?”

However, Rishabh of Ramjas college says, “ Banning artists and sportspersons is not the solution. The problem exists because of a deep rooted hostility towards citizens of the other country. Such moves will only aggravate and perpetuate the hostility”.

The players who went back are: Fareed Ahmed, Imran Butt, Mahmood Rashid and Muhammad Tousiq (all Mumbai Magicians); Muhammad Rizwan Sr. and Muhammad Rizwan Jr. (Delhi Waveriders); Muhammad Irfan and Shafqat Rasool (Ranchi Rhinos); and Kashif.

Image source-topnews.in