FAISALABAD: The Amnesty International South Asia on Monday called on the Pakistani authorities to grant all necessary permission to the Aurat March organisers to hold a protest in the city.
"Amnesty International notes with serious concern the government’s decision to bar the #AuratMarch protest in Faisalabad yesterday. The right to peaceful assembly is protected by all major human rights conventions and the Constitution of Pakistan," the Amnesty International South Asia said in a Twitter message.
We call upon authorities to immediately grant #AuratMarchFaisalabad all necessary permissions and provide them security, should they need it. [2/2]
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) August 2, 2021
The protest was due on Sunday on Noor Mukadam case but the local administration barred the organization from organizing march for security reasons.
The organizers had also said that they would announce a date for the protest.
and Muharram Concerns!
— AURAT MARCH FAISALABAD (@FaisalabadMarch) August 1, 2021
The organisers did not obtain No-Objection Certificate (NOC) and were holding the protest without prior notice, GeoNews quoted Assistant Commissioner Faisalabad City Ayub Bukhari as saying.
“In such events, there are a lot of security threats and security risks. We asked them to apply for a proper NOC,” said Bukhari, pointing out that the Aurat March organisers had even provided authorities with a written affidavit "that we were organising this march without an NOC,”.
He stated that the organizers did not follow proper procedure, making it clear that he never gave permission for such events.
“There is of course a threat due to preparation for fast approaching month of Muharam,” he added.