Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari has strongly condemned the call for a ban on Aurat March, by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri in a letter to the prime minister.

Aurat March is held on International Day for Women on March 8.

"Whoever wants to hold an Aurat March or Hijab March should go for it. No one has the authority to ban a democratic march on women's international day," Mazari said, in a special interview to Samaa TV.

The minister in her remarks further said: "Women belonging to religious parties can hold their marches then why can't other women hold them? Women celebrate their day across the world. Why they can't do so here [in Pakistan]?"

Women across Pakistan celebrate women's day with Aurat Marches across Pakistan to raise awareness on the issues faced by those women like persecution, harassment, discrimination and violence. 2022 will be the fifth year in which the day to be celebrated.

In his letter written to Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 9, Qadri strongly opposed holding Aurat March in the country, saying the banners, placards and slogans in the march were problems for Islamic system of society.

"In the name of Aurat March, women not to be allowed making fun of Islamic societal values, hijab [and other related values in Islam]," he wrote in the letter. The federal minister proposed to hold an international hijab day on March 8 and arrange programmes on the occassion.

Social media users, organizers of Aurat March and large sections of society strongly condemned Qadri's proposal to ban the event.