Women protest

last updated 8 January 2015

Islamabad

Hundreds of women demonstrated in the Pakistani capital this week, protesting what they called the “Talibanization” of the country. Last week, a mob of men in the town of Gujranwala, armed with batons and Molotov cocktails, attacked women athletes who were running in a co-ed long distance race. The men were supporters of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a conservative religious party. “This has got to stop,” one protester said. “These mullahs just want us to stay home, have children, and God knows what else.” Women runners in Pakistan wear long pants, tunics, and head scarves, while men wear shorts and tank tops.