Aurat March to be held in Lahore on March 8
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has told the Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rafia Haider and organisers of the Aurat March to sit together and decide on the same. Now the route and date of the Aurat March has been locked in by both the parties. The march would start from the Nadra Office, Shimla Pahari to Faletti’s Hotel between 2pm to 6pm.
The details were shared on the Twitter account of the Aurat March Lahore
The new venue negotiated with the district administration is NADRA Office, Shimla Pahari, near press club to outside Faletti's. See you tomorrow at 2 PM on March 8.#AuratMarch2023 #AuratMarch #MarchTuHoGa pic.twitter.com/ypRu09IHMn
— عورت مارچ لاہور – Aurat March Lahore (@AuratMarch) March 7, 2023
In the court hearing, the DC along with superintendent of police (SP) Civil Lines appeared in the court and had objected on the Aurat March citing the security concerns as the reason however it was argued that ban was a violation of fundamental rights.
The LHC Justice Hasnain however overruled the reason saying the administration is directed to maintain the law-and-order situation in the city. The court said, “The DC’s notification refusing to give permission for the event is not valid.”
Furthermore, it added, “When political parties hold public gatherings, they also consult with the administration.”
The court however had instructed the Aurat March lawyer Sabahat Rizvi that no controversial statements will be uploaded on the social accounts of the Aurat March management and there should ‘no chaos at the rally’.
Thank you to our legal team, Sabahat Rizvi, Zeeshan Hashmi, Asad Jamal, & Abid Saqi along with state institutions such as the National Commission for Human Rights (@nchrofficial) for their support and solidarity in ensuring our fundamental rights are protected.
— عورت مارچ لاہور – Aurat March Lahore (@AuratMarch) March 7, 2023
The administration of Lahore had denied the Aurat March organisers permission to hold the march last week which has resulted in them filing for a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC)