ISLAMABAD: Police detained several women’s rights activists, including members of the Aurat March movement, in Islamabad on Sunday ahead of a rally planned to mark International Women’s Day.
According to police sources, the activists were taken into custody near Super Market in Sector F-6 while attempting to reach the National Press Club. A heavy police presence had already been deployed at the location. The detained participants were later taken to the Women’s Police Station.
Police said a total of 44 people were arrested, including 19 women and 25 men. Among those detained were prominent activist Farzana Bari, her two daughters, and human rights defender Tahira Abdullah, along with other Aurat March organisers, students, and activists.
Authorities stated that the district administration had denied a No-Objection Certificate (NoC) for the rally and had imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the capital, prohibiting public gatherings. Police said Bari had been informed about the restrictions through a letter issued on Saturday, making the planned march an “illegal activity.”
Civil society activist Tariq Mehmood Ghouri said more than 25 people had initially been detained. He alleged that some individuals who went to the Women’s Police Station to seek the release of the arrested participants were also taken into custody and held in a separate lockup.
Ghouri also claimed that the protesters had gathered near Super Market and had no intention of marching towards D-Chowk, adding that some participants were manhandled by police.
The group Aurat March shared a video on its official Instagram account showing Bari and several women seated inside what appeared to be a police vehicle.
Participants condemned the arrests, saying detaining women on International Women’s Day was deeply regrettable and demanded immediate action against those responsible for the police action.
In a statement, Aurat March Islamabad said the activists were peacefully exercising their right to protest. “The detention of those who even went to the police station to seek the release of their comrades is deeply unjust and unacceptable,” the statement said, calling for the immediate release of all those arrested.
The National Commission for Human Rights expressed concern over the arrests, stating that peaceful assembly is a constitutional right of all citizens.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists also condemned what it described as arbitrary arrests and the manhandling of activists and journalists. PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary-General Arshad Ansari criticised Islamabad police and the federal administration for detaining peaceful participants, including three women journalists.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party Human Rights Cell also condemned the registration of police cases against Aurat March leaders, calling the action a direct attack on the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Earlier, Aurat March Karachi had announced the postponement of its rally due to the holy month of Ramadan.
