Aurat March Lahore unveils 2024 manifesto

LAHORE: Aurat March Lahore has unveiled its manifesto for 2024, themed around “Siyasat, Mazahmat, Azadi” [Politics, Resistance, Liberation.”]

1. Siyasat – Feminist Critique of Existing Political Frameworks
   In the aftermath of the 2024 General Elections, Aurat March’s manifesto critiques the
   exclusionary, patriarchal and elitist nature of mainstream politics that prevents women and other
   marginalized and oppressed groups from having a meaningful presence and voice in political
   processes.
2. Muzahamat – Solidarity with Local & Global Resistance Movements
   The Aurat March volunteers stated that electoral politics alone is not enough for systemic
   overhaul and called on the need for creative, consistent and united forms of resistance beyond
   the ballot box. Aurat March emphasized solidarity with global struggles for liberation, such as
   Palestine, and local struggles of Baloch, Shia, Hazara, Khwaja Sira and other oppressed
   groups. They stated that our solidarity cannot be selective as the freedom of each individual is
   linked to the freedom of all.
3. Azadi – Striving towards Liberation
   Aurat March demanded systemic reforms to make our politics more inclusive, accountable and
   equitable. They demand a comprehensive campaign financing regulatory system that bars
   corporate entities from financing campaigns and spending limits that ensure that electoral
   politics are class-inclusive and accessible. Further, they agitated for ECP to ensure radical
   transparency regarding the results of the 2024 General Election, and for structural reform of the
   institution to restore public trust in its ability to administer elections. They stated that they
   envision freedom from oppressive structures

Aurat March 2024: Charter of Demands

Aurat March Lahore demands concrete and systemic changes in the political, electoral and governance systems of Pakistan through politics of resistance to achieve true liberation. We demand
that the Pakistani state must urgently:

1. Ensure transparency in announcing the final results of the 2024 General Election to restore trust in
   the electoral process. Nothing short of a public-led truth and reconciliation process is acceptable.
2. Enforce the minimum requirement of 5% women’s nomination on general seats for political parties,
   until this requirement is raised to 30% or above, and introduce quotas for transgender persons.
   Increase representation of marginalised communities at every level of governance through equitable
   systems that guarantee autonomy, dignity and inclusivity for all genders, sexual identities, classes,
   abilities, castes and faiths.
3. Strengthen campaign finance laws to ensure transparency, realistic limits and true democracy within
   political parties to make our electoral politics more class-representative.
4. Ensure equitable resource distribution and representation for all federative units, as well as Gilgit–
   Baltistan. Local government institutions should be prioritised and strengthened for grassroots
   political empowerment.
5. Reject all proposed Bills violating the dignity and privacy of the transgender and khwaja sira community, and allocate resources to eliminate institutional misgendering and discrimination across all systems and institutions.
6. Decriminalise defamation, sedition and anti-dissent laws, including section 144, which infringe on the right to assembly and speech.
7. Restore student unions on campuses that ensure meaningful representation, particularly of women and gender minorities, to exercise their right to organise.
8. End all enforced disappearances, return all forcibly disappeared persons to their families, and ensure accountability through independent and transparent investigations that provide justice to those illegally disappeared. We endorse the demands of the Baloch March Against Genocide and other movements representing families of the disappeared.
9. Defund surveillance systems that perpetuate a paternalistic vision of women’s safety, such as the “safe city” projects. Instead, funding be redirected to support those impacted by patriarchal violence.
10. End IMF-mandated, austerity-based policies and restore funding to essential public services and welfare institutions.
11. Ensure universal protection and regularisation of work which guarantees living wage and decent work conditions in formal and informal sectors. Recognize and value unpaid labour, including care work, as an integral part of the economy.
12. Provide climate adaptation support through proactive disaster resilience measures to vulnerable communities and rehabilitate those affected and internally displaced by climate catastrophes.
    The government must translate its rhetoric at international forums into meaningful support for disproportionately impacted communities, particularly those engaged in farming and fishing.