The first ever Gilgit-Baltistan Women’s Sport Gala, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, has been in jeopardy as the opposition and religious parties have opposed the festivity, terming it Unislamic, which led to several protests against the event.
According to reports, Moulana Jalal Abid has denounced the current women’s sports gala taking place at Gilgit’s Lalik Jan stadium. The cleric reportedly stated that the location is an “Eid-Gah of Muslims.”
Gilgit:
Moulana Jalal Abid has reportedly condemned the ongoing sports gala for women at Gilgit’s Lalik Jan stadium. According to reports, the cleric has said that the venue is the “Eid-Gah for Muslims”.#news #women #sport #womenrights #pakistan #gilgit #religion #imn pic.twitter.com/UQ0BDeLXdH
— Ibex Media Network (@IbexMedianetwrk) September 29, 2022
Although, men are not permitted to attend the event. All participants and organizers are girls, and they all wear appropriate sportswear that is ethically righteous. The opposition is still criticizing the event, calling it ‘promoting vulgarity.’
Pakistan’s woman cricketer Diana Baig called out Maulana Jalal Abid for opposing women’s sporting event at Gilgit’s Lalik Jan Stadium located in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
My question is: why was the condemnation not for the men’s event?
Shouldn’t the space belong to women just as much as it belongs to everyone else who lives in Gilgit or will we continue to live under a rock and pretend that a woman stepping on the field is a taboo?
2/2— Diana baig (@baig_diana) October 1, 2022
Diana Baig, while reacting to the reports, lashed out at the cleric. “Gilgit has given so many gems (men and women) to Pakistan sports who continue to uplift the image of the country with their talent,” She said “This ground is fit to host prayers, men’s boxing events, cultural dances and everything else but cannot host a women’s event.”
A number of leaders have expressed their conditional support for the festivity and sports activity. An opposition figure named Amjad Hussein suggested that Islamic principles should guide the organization of the women’s sporting event. Additionally, Hafeez ur Rehman, the current president of the PML-N and a former chief minister of the United Kingdom, told the media that they had no objections to the Sports Gala as long as it is managed in veil and with discretion.
However, according to Ibex Media Network, protests against the event are now being held after Qazi Nisar called for a shutter down protest following a lengthy consultation of Ahl e Sunnat wal Jamaat.
Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly member Sanam Faryad has also harshly criticized the Women Sport Gala 2022. The female lawmaker threatened to speak out in the Assembly against the Women’s Sport Gala 2022 if it wasn’t stopped right away.
While criticizing the event, the chief advisor to Shamsul Haq Lone of Gilgit-Baltistan stated, “I would try my best to cancel Women’s Sports Gala. It is Un-Islamic.”
On the other hand, the Chief Secretary Gilgit Baltistan Muhiudeen Wani said GB Women’s Sports Gala would be more than just a sporting event to recognize the accomplishments and general wellbeing of young girls and women.
The event is being held exclusively to recognize and celebrate the abilities of female athletes, he wrote on his official social media account.
Despite everything, Dilshad Bano, a Parliamentary Secretary for the GB Assembly, supported the event and said, “The daughters of Gilgit-Baltistan are incredibly talented, and they have represented and made us proud on several national and international forums.”
