In 2021, the federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, announced a legal inquiry into allegedly ‘blasphemous’ slogans157 raised at the Aurat March, while dozens of people from various groups blocked major roads in Islamabad protesting against the event. Separate protests were staged by the Sunni Rabta Council, State Youth Parliament, Muslim Talba Mahaz, and Muttahida Talba Mahaz at Aabpara Chowk.158 Protestors demonstrated against the Aurat March, accusing them of ‘blasphemy, obscenity and vulgarity’. The protests were led by traders’ body president Zahir Shah and Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ibrahim Biland, who blocked the road in Mardan in an attempt to besiege protesters at Aurat March.159 In 2022, Ulema-e-Islam JUI-F Sindh Chapter General Secretary Maulana Rashid Mehmood warned that JUI-F would stop marchers by force, suggesting it promoted ‘obscenity’ under the guise of women’s rights.160 This came after the Minister of Religious Affairs wrote to the Prime Minister – then Imran Khan – pushing for a ban of the March, arguing that ‘anti-Islamic slogans’ should not be raised on International Women’s Day. Leaders from JUI-F and ultra-conservative muftis like Muneeb-urRehman, expressed their disapproval, arguing that the march promotes Western values contrary to Islamic teachings. Additionally, Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro of JUI-F threatened to stop the March by force if it displayed what they deemed as unethical or anti-Islamic messages.161 The ongoing backlash against the Aurat March highlights the complex web of actors involved, illustrating how state entities (parties and the police), social and fundamentalist groups and schools, militant groups, and even traders collaborated in attempts to suppress the movement. The role of the media in enabling hate campaigns against the Aurat March is significant, often discrediting the march and its organizers. Male reporters from traditional outlets have been reported to heckle and provoke women protesters, further fueling negative perceptions. Fariha Anwar, a Senior Manager at an education-focused NGO, notes that media coverage tends to confirm pre-existing biases and sensationalize 157 Blasphemy is criminalized in Pakistan and is frequently used to target minorities and suppress dissent. Originating from colonial-era laws, these were significantly expanded under General Zia in the 1980s and further broadened in 2023. https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-blasphemy-why-pakistan-and-some-other-muslim-countries-are-passing-newblasphemy-laws-19864 158 Dawn. (2021). Protests staged against Aurat March. Dawn, 14 March. https://www.dawn.com/news/1612190 159 Dawn. (2021). Protests held against Aurat March in Islamabad. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1611108 160 Khan, Z. A. (2022). March in defiance. Tribune, 8 March. https://web.archive.org/web/20220314095350/https:// tribune.com.pk/story/2347667/march-in-defiance-1 161 Ibid. 47