Refusing to accept the posters as sly humor, the critics accused the marchers of obscenity and vulgarity — another familiar objection that raises its head whenever Pakistani women demand their rights. (In the past, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said feminism “weakens motherhood.”)The furor over this year’s march illustrates a complex dynamic of misogyny that is deeply rooted in Pakistani society. Instead, they say, women should be more “mature and balanced,” when asking for their rights. What happened after this year’s Aurat March shows that for Pakistani women, the enemy is not men; the real enemy is society’s acceptance of patriarchy. Pakistani women are in crisis, but at last their status has become part of the national conversation.

Source: International New York Times April 14, 2019 23:02 UTC