International Women’s Day: Women workers announce rally in Karachi

KARACHI: Condemning hatred-based misinformation against Pakistani women, leaders of women, workers, political, social organizations announced to stage a big rally of women in Karachi on March 8, to mark the international women’s day.

Addressing a press conference here at the Karachi Press Club, they said the day of March 8 is being distinguished in the whole world historically to pay homage to the heroic struggle of women workers.

Women in the whole world on this day raise voice for their equal social and economic rights and gender justice. They appreciated that the Lahore High Court in a recent ruling has recognized this right of citizens, keeping the constitution.

They said the leaders of the Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) are receiving direct and indirect intimidation and being asked not to sort out and hold programs and marches on the 8 March.

They announced that despite these threats and dangers thousands of women would hold their programs scheduled on March 08 and later would participate in a huge rally.

In this rally Hari women, glass bangle women workers, home-based women workers, lady health visitors, teachers, students and women belonging to other walks of life would actively participate along with male workers, the added.

They said the basic objective of staging the women workers rally is to struggle for making a society that is free from economic and gender exploitation and male supremacy.

They said that Pakistani women are celebrating the women’s day in an atmosphere, where discriminatory laws with women are ripe, coupled with some old social values and tradition that favors making the woman a slave.

They said in feudal and tribal areas of Pakistan women are usually considered as second class citizens of the society. Women working in intuitions and fields, factories and workplaces not only face economic mistreatment but also sexual harassment, they added.

In factories and workplaces, women workers are not given the same wages and they are not being recorded with social security organizations.

Now not only male political workers are being disappeared by agencies, but also women now. They said anti-people economic and political policies are being set up on the dictation of IMF, resulting in a severe economic crisis in the country.

They said women workers are the worst victims of these crises. They said in cities and towns thousands of families are being displaced in the name of the anti-encroachment operation.

In this gloomy backdrop, women, especially working women, have organized themselves, and emerged as a potent force. For the last decade, the role of women in all movements has remained important and prominent.

On March 8, women workers of Pakistan would pledge to wage an organized struggle against suppression of capitalist, tribal and feudal mentality, and continue to become part of national and international labor movements.

They condemned the anti-women and defaming remarks of a drama writer Qamar and demanded media houses to ban his programs.

They appealed the Karachiites, especially progressive, democratic people, students, youths and women to attend the rally of women workers that would march from Arts Council of Pakistan to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) at 2:30 pm.

Zahra Khan general secretary Home-based Women Workers Federation,  (Nuzhat Sheerin of Sindh Commission for Women, Nasira Perveen of All Sindh Lady Health Worker Employees Association, Saeeda Khatoon for Association of Baldia Factory Fire Affectees and others spoke on this occasion.