The celebrations for International Women's Day started early in Dharampura, Lahore. Women Workers Help Line, a working class organisation, staged a day-long women's Mela on 6th March in the Ahata Makhan Singh area of Dharampura.
Hundreds of women, men and children paid five and two rupees respectively to participate in this festival.
This was third year the event had been staged in this area. For the first two years the Labour Party Pakistan's Mustafabad unit had organised it, but this year, WWHL decided to take it on.
The festival was opened by the performance of local artists who sang songs and performed small sketches exposing the evils prevailing in the community. Romana Shabnum, a local resident and member of Lahore Aziz Bhatti Town council explained the ideas behind this event:
"March 8th is a day to remember in the historic struggle of women to demand rights for voting and associations. Here in Pakistan, we are in majority but we don't have rights that would bring working class women onto an equal level with men. This festival is our way of teaching the masses. We want to oppose domestic violence and raise the issue in lively manner."
Azra Shad, chair of WWHL; spoke of the struggle of peasant women for land ownership rights.
"They are doing wonders, and are fighting the police and military brutality with their sticks and dandaas. WWHL is shoulder to shoulder with peasant women to fight for their rights. Women from the cities must join hand with peasant women and men to forge a real unity.
Rahila Zareen, joint secretary of Pakistan Federation. of Trade Unions and a member of Labour Party Pakistan told the gathering:
"We must organise on our own. Only our independent assocolons one alone can guarantee the protection of the rights we have got so far, and help us to fight for more. The WWHL has become the most vocal and fighting voice of working class women "
Farooq Tariq, a local resident and general secretary LPP said "Let us attack the primitive and reactionary traditions that are upheld by. some working class families. Let's not beat women at any cost. Let us not threat them to divorce, let's not insult them. They are equal partners of the family."
Many women and whole families work day and night to earn a little bit of money, he said. "Let's honour the revolutionary spirit of the women of this area and as a whole in Pakistan and internationally. Let's stop sending our children to work: send them to school instead. "We do not want a working class who cannot read and write."
The local union organisers and councillors also spoke of their solidarity with the WWHL's fight for women rights. Several nationally known artists performed various songs, and local artists danced to popular tunes.
Children of the area had prepared special songs for the event exposing the conditions they are living in. They opposed drug addiction and child labour.