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ISLAMABAD: Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday demanded the Punjab government to provide security to the upcoming Aurat March 2020, especially in light of the reports of threats the women's rally has been receiving.



Chaudhry said: "If [TLP chief] Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi and [Lal Masjid cleric] Maulana Abdul Aziz can openly engage in hate speech, then peaceful groups should also have the right to express their thoughts.



The Aurat March participants and organisers should be allowed freedom of speech "even if we may disagree with their viewpoint", the federal minister added.

A day earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had wrapped up a petition filed by Advocate Azhar Siddique against the Aurat March 2020 and issued orders for strict security to be provided to the participants and organisers.

Advocate Siddique's petition had claimed that Aurat March was "against the very norms of Islam", that its hidden agenda is to spread "anarchy, vulgarity and hatred", and that "various anti-state parties present who are funding this Aurat March with the sole purpose of spreading anarchy amongst the masses".

'Mera jism, meri marzi'

LHC Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh had also directed the district administration to make a decision on Aurat March organisers' application to hold the event and advised the rally leaders to respect the constitutional and legal limits.

Relevant officials should meet the organisers and assist them, Justice Sheikh had noted, adding that strict security should be arranged at the entry and exit points.

The court had also remarked that in last year's Aurat March, there were objectionable statements and "placards reading 'Mera jism, meri marzi' [My body, my choice] seen".

To which, Nighat Dad — the lawyer representing Aurat March — had said the organisers were not responsible for the controversial placards.

The top LHC judge had said his goal was to improve security for the Aurat March.

Khalil-ur-Rehman 'hurt'

The same day, writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar — who was both ridiculed and praised for hit TV series earlier this year — appeared on a talk show alongside activist Marvi Sirmed to share his thoughts on Aurat March 2020.

Tempers, however, flared up soon after the two got into an argument about one of the slogans — mera jism, meri marzi, or my body, my choice— with Qamar saying it was "vile and filthy" and that he felt "hurt" that the LHC threw out a petition seeking to ban it.

As he spoke, Sirmed interrupted to offer an explanation as to why the line of thought Qamar was diving into was problematic. However, he lost his patience and hurled some highly inappropriate insults at Sirmed, adding to a clash between progressives and conservatives over the perceived objectives of the Aurat March 2020.