The Karachi Police on Thursday blocked Aurat March members from holding a press conference outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC), detaining a woman activist amid heightened security.
Karachi Police officials, deployed in large numbers, closed off roads leading to the KPC for public traffic, prompting protests from activists.
"Why are we being stopped? Police are misbehaving with us,” said Sheema Kermani, a prominent social activist. She added that officers had earlier directed them to postpone the press conference.
Aurat March leader Muneeza Ahmed condemned the police action, asking: "What environment are you creating in your own city?"
She said 15-year-old Nasreena Baloch had been detained in Hub, while her family had been prevented from attending and speaking at the event. "Today’s press conference is also for Mahjabeen, who was taken from Quetta," she said, claiming that first men were disappeared and now women were being targeted.
Ahmed further claimed that police had taken a woman named Sarah into custody from outside the press club. Meanwhile, Kermani reiterated that authorities had instructed them to cancel the event before they even arrived at the venue.
Qazi Khizar, a representative from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said the restriction on the peaceful gathering reflected "clear fear of authorities today."
He termed the measures "unconstitutional and unlawful," warning that adherence to the Constitution and the law was the only path to safeguarding the state.
