Human right activists demonstration on Saturday to mark the International Women’s Day, demanding the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqi
LAHORE: A large number of human right activists and members of civil society staged a demonstration on Saturday to mark the International Women’s Day, demanding the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqi and countless other women jailed as prisoners of conscience by oppressive regimes.
Under the aegis of Dr Aafia Movement Pakistan, the protestors comprising men, women and children from all age groups gathered outside the Lahore Press Club. Holding banners and placards, they were raising slogans against the US and former dictator Gen Musharraf.
Addressing the crowd, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui said not only in Pakistan but also in whole world the basic rights of women were being usurped under the very eye of the UN and world bodies on women rights. She said the continued detention of, what she termed, Pakistani mother Dr Aafia Siddiqui was just one of the glaring examples of violation of women rights. She said when the violation of women’s rights was accepted and tolerated at government and state level it became a matter of great sorrow and grief. She asked why the basic rights of Aafia as a woman were being negated with impunity. “Why she had been deprived of her basic human rights for long 11 years?”
Dr Fowzia said Aafia family was even more saddened on the international women’s day, because the rulers of whole world and the United Nations celebrate this day with fanfare but at the expense of countless victimized and exploited women including Aafia Siddiqui who remained without getting any justice.
