ISLAMABAD: Human rights defenders Tahira Abdullah and Samina Omar were released on Friday after a brief detention in Islamabad, a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) activist told local media.
The HRCP had earlier condemned the “arbitrary arrest” of Abdullah and Omar outside the National Press Club ahead of a planned protest in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The commission’s statement on X noted that neither woman was part of any public gathering at the time, and their actions did not violate Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, as alleged by police.
Section 144 empowers district administrations to prohibit assemblies of four or more people for a limited period in a specified area.
The HRCP expressed concern that Abdullah and Omar were reportedly denied access to legal counsel during their detention. The commission demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The protest had been organised by former Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who had called for public participation in a post on X.
Prior to their release, HRCP activist Tariq Mehmood Ghouri said Abdullah and Omar were held at the women’s police station in Sitara Market alongside two other female activists affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami, including Mushtaq’s daughter. They were charged under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code for disobedience to a public servant’s order.
Ghouri added that seven men were also arrested and held at Kohsar police station.
Mushtaq Khan and other activists have faced previous arrests for staging pro-Gaza protests in Islamabad, also for violating Section 144.
In September last year, police detained Mushtaq, his wife, son, and over two dozen protestors during a march to express solidarity with Gaza. The rally had been called at Express Chowk, an entry point to the high-security Red Zone.
In March 2024, the capital police filed charges against Mushtaq and 350 others, including allegations of stone-pelting and threats to law enforcement, following another protest at Express Chowk related to Palestine.
