Police release Aurat March activists after brief detention near Karachi Press Club

KARACHI: Police released seven Aurat March activists on Tuesday after briefly detaining them near the Karachi Press Club, following orders from Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar.

The activists had gathered at the press club for a press conference scheduled for 4pm to press for a no-objection certificate for their annual march in Karachi.

An Aurat March organiser confirmed that seven people were released, including Sheema Kirmani and Shahzadi Rai. Their release came shortly after Lanjar directed police in Karachi’s South Zone to let the detained activists go.

Detentions before planned press conference

According to the rights group, the activists were taken into custody shortly before the scheduled media interaction at the Karachi Press Club. The purpose of the press conference was to demand issuance of the NOC for the group’s upcoming annual march in the city.

The detentions prompted a response from Aurat March Karachi after the activists were freed. In a post on X, the group said:

We will NOT back down from our politics, and we will continue to demand an NOC!

Scare tactics to suppress dissent are shameful!

The group also called on the Sindh government to explain why the arrests were made and why, in its words, there had been a delay in granting the NOC.

Demand for official explanation

After the release, Aurat March Karachi reiterated its demand that the provincial government issue a statement clarifying the reason for the detentions. The group also maintained its demand for permission for the annual march.

The development unfolded within hours of the activists’ gathering near the Karachi Press Club. The release order from the Sindh home minister brought the brief detention episode to an end the same day.

The seven released activists included prominent names associated with rights advocacy, among them Sheema Kirmani and Shahzadi Rai, as confirmed by an organiser of Aurat March.

The incident centred on the group’s effort to secure official clearance for its annual event in Karachi. The activists had assembled for a public media briefing specifically to raise that issue when police detained them.

Following their release, the group signalled that it would continue its campaign for the NOC and criticised what it described as attempts to silence dissent. It also sought a formal response from the Sindh government over both the arrests and the pending permission for the march.

No further details were provided in the report about the grounds for the brief detention beyond the activists’ presence near the Karachi Press Club ahead of the planned press conference.