Historical Context of Aurat March Islamabad: Continuity, Resistance, and Feminist Futures

Aurat March Islamabad is organizing a panel discussion to situate its emergence within the longer and courageous trajectory of the women’s movement in Pakistan. This session seeks to trace the threads of continuity – from past struggles to present mobilizations – and to reflect on how feminist resistance has evolved across generations.

As part of this important conversation, we would be deeply honoured to invite a representative from the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) to share reflections on women’s resistance during the Zia-ul-Haq era. The movement against discriminatory laws, state repression, and shrinking civic space remains a defining chapter in Pakistan’s feminist history. The courage, strategy, and solidarity demonstrated during that period continue to inform contemporary feminist organizing.

By bringing together voices across generations, this panel aims to explore how historical resistance shapes today’s feminist futures – and how memory, struggle, and vision remain interconnected in the ongoing pursuit of justice and equality.

About the Panelists:

• Rukhsana Rashid
  (Women Action Forum)
• Farzana Bari
  (Aurat March Islamabad)
• Zainab Jamil
  (Aurat March Islamabad)
• Anam Rathore
  (Aurat Azaadi March, Women Democratic Front)
• Syeda Kashamala
  (Lawyer — Moderator)

This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.

The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
Click here for Google Maps Location