In Bishkek, police detained activists for breaking rally ban. In Islamabad, radical groups pushed barriers aside to attack marchers, including many men.

Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – While the world yesterday celebrated International Women's Day with joyful events and colourful initiatives, women's marches were attacked in Muslim-majority Asian countries, namely Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Turkey. In some cases, police dispersed assembled crowds with tear gas; in others, groups of Islamic radicals armed with bars and sticks attacked participants.

Yesterday people took to the streets around the world to celebrate women, focusing on certain issues, such as domestic violence, child marriage, and so-called honour killings. Marchers stressed the principle of equal pay for equal work, women's solidarity, equality between men and women, and respect and mutual understanding within couples.

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, a group of masked men attacked the 8 March rally that had brought together scores of women to protest against domestic abuse and “bride kidnapping," a widespread but unspoken practice.

By the time police arrived the assailants had fled, but the agents had the time to arrest protesters, at least 70, for illegal gathering and breaking the ban on assemblies purportedly to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. So far, no case of the Covid-19 has been reported in the Central Asian country.

In Istanbul (Turkey), police used tear gas to disperse a few hundred women protesting at the edge of Taksim Square. Agents stopped women from entering Istiklal Street, the district’s main pedestrian avenue. Istanbul’s governor Ali Yerlikaya also closed down Taksim metro station and parts of nearby Sishane station.

The authorities said that protesters did not have a permit to hold a protest at their chosen location. This is not the first time that women’s rallies are forcibly ended.

In Pakistan, the day was marked by some peaceful events, but others that ended in violence.

In Faisalabad’s Madina Town neighbourhood, the Holy Rosary parish held a seminar to mark women’s achievements of and note the abuses, like abductions and forced conversions to Islam, that women still endured.

In the capital Islamabad, Islamic groups attacked the Aurat Azadi March (march for women's freedom) organised by various groups.

Members of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F), Sunni Ittehad and Jamia Hafsa pushed aside streets barriers and attacked marchers, including many men, with sticks, stones and shoes. Several people were injured.

(Shafique Khokhar contributed to this article)