Nepal, May 8 -- A few days ago, Islamic political parties, led by the conservative Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI), rallied in Dhaka's sprawling Suhrawardy Udyan to address 20,000 supporters who were demanding the winding up of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission set up by the interim regime and the appointment of a new Commission comprising Islamic scholars as well as representatives from "devout segments of the female population".

The Commission submitted its report with 433 recommendations on April 19, 2025. Among other things, it recommended equal rights for all women and men, including in inheritance, marriage and divorce. Unsurprisingly, the Islamists who have consistently argued against women being in public spaces and their right to inhe...