Pakistan: CFWIJ extends support to women journalists in Pakistan campaigning to defend the "Aurat March"

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March 12, 2021, Islamabad- Women journalists in Pakistan initiated a campaign the night of March 11, 2021, to defend the annual Aurat March, a protest rally that takes place on the International Women's Day in the country. The march came under threat after doctored videos and propaganda messages began circulating on social media, claiming that it was an anti-religious procession. The issue became worse when right-wing male journalists lent their support to this false narrative.

On March 11, 2021, the twitter landscape in Pakistan became fraught when several right-wing male news journalists posted doctored videos and images from the Aurat March 2020, alleging that blasphemous activities took place during the protest rally. The protest rallies, in the three major cities, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, were targeted with different accusations in an attempt to malign the feminist movement in the country. The callousness is particularly daunting, if one is to keep in mind that such allegations of blasphemy have resulted in mob violence claiming lives in Pakistan in the past. In fact, a sitting  Governor in Pakistan, Salman Taseer was murdered by his own security guard, when narratives about him defending an alleged blasphemer started doing rounds on local media.

Aurat March, that attracts much anger from the powerful far-right groups of the country, was already targeted with organized troll campaigns online and court petitions to have it banned in the past. This year, however, a deliberate attempt was made to threaten and intimidate feminist organizers by framing them in cases for blasphemy. 

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A video shot at the Karachi Aurat March became a cause of great concern, when it was circulated on social media with false subtitles. The video featured a protest chant in which women demanded liberation from the misogynistic elements of the state and clergy. The subtitles were altered to make it appear that the participants of the rally had insulted God, the Prophet Muhammad, and other religious figures of significance. This propaganda video was retweeted by notable right-wing male journalists. While one of them, Ovais Mangalwala has apologized, another, Ansar Abbasi has since attempted to dodge blame.

Journalist Omair Magalwala admits that the video her shared earlier was doctored, but does not offer an apology.

Right Wing journalist Ansar Abbasi repeatedly gave space to accusations of blasphemy without any proof. He has not apologized yet.

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At the Aurat March in Lahore, a banner meant to display the testimonies of victims of sexual harassment featured an anonymous message of a survivor who claimed she was harassed as a nine-year-old by a fifty-year-old cleric. The issue was deliberately misconstrued when naysayers assumed, without provocation, that the message was not a personal testimony but a means to ridicule an event in Islamic history. The Aurat March organizers had to issue a public statement citing the widespread cases of child abuse in the country, and reasserted its resolve to stand by victims of sexual harassment.

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The Aurat March in Islamabad came under fire when a right-wing show host, Orya Maqbool Jan, on national television falsely alleged that the participants waved the French national flag at the rally. Jan claimed that this proves the march receives direct funding from France, a state that has previously been supportive of blasphemous content against Muslim religious sentiment, hence, the organizers here should be considered a party to said blasphemy. The organizers, again, had to issue a clarification stating that the flag in question was the official flag of the Women's Democratic Front (WDF), a grassroots feminist movement in the country. A detailed explanation regarding the differences between the French flag and the WDF flag was also published to clarify any confusion. The statement ended with the organizers reiterating that Aurat March is funded entirely by individual donations, and any ties to a colonial state goes against its politics. Jan has not issued an apology for falsely accusing the organizers.

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Watching the widespread misinformation campaign regarding the Aurat March, and the death threats that the organizers have received as a result, the women journalists in Pakistan launched a campaign. The campaign states, "Journalists need to fact-check and verify any fact, media, or source they use in their journalism, and journalists and anchors on social media need to fact-check and verify any information they share on social media."

The campaign demands that an unconditional apology be issued from the male journalists who spread misinformation, the media desists from spreading false accusations against the march organizers, and individuals with a history of spreading disinformation not to be given space on cable networks. The petition, at the time this statement was drafted, has 257 signatories. As a result of the campaign, the hashtag #ApologizetoAuratMarch started trending on the Pakistani twitterscape last night in response to the deliberate propaganda effort of the day. Prominent political figures such as the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr. Fawad Chaudhry (PTI), and party representative, Bakhtawar Bhutto (PPP), also condemned what appeared to be a vile, organized effort to malign the march.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends its full support to the campaign launched by women journalists in Pakistan, as well as the feminist organizers who have been threatened. We also condemn in the strongest terms the actions of Ansar Abbasi, Ovais Mangalwala, Ali Haider and Orya Maqbool Jan and demand they issue an immediate, unconditional apology for putting the lives of feminist organizers at risk, due to their own misogynistic biases. It is disheartening to see how little support women have on the local media, compared to the space that cable networks usually provide far-right representation. However, we appreciate journalists like Shahzeb Khanzada, who demonstrate genuine alliance by debunking the malicious attacks and misinformation spread around Aurat March. He has always also stood by women journalists as a supportive colleague. We understand that it is a long path to gender balance in the country, and we intend to stand by all the brave women of Pakistan in this journey.

Lend support to the campaign here.