Islamabad, March 11 The local police authorities in Pakistan's capital Islamabad arrested several 'Aurat March' activists earlier this week who had assembled near the National Press Club to demand gender justice on the eve of International Women's Day. Even those who came to police station for getting information about detained participants were reportedly taken into custody. Such heavy-handedness showcases a troubling pattern in Pakistan, where the constitutional right to peaceful protest is regularly curbed through administrative orders and policing, the country's media has highlighted.
The supposed offence of detained activists was that they were part of a peaceful assembly deemed unlawful under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code after the district administration denied a no-objection certificate for the march, according to an editorial in Pakistan's leading daily Dawn. All those arrested were later released by the police, however, the incident is troubling as the women demanding protection from gender-based violence and discrimination were arrested by the very state meant to safeguard their rights.
"Section 144 exists for a reason. The state must have the authority to prevent violence or imminent threats to public order. Yet the provision has increasingly become a blunt instrument deployed to pre-empt dissent rather than address genuine security concerns. When peaceful gatherings are treated as law-and-order risks, the state effectively criminalises civic engagement," the Dawn editorial stated.
Since 2018, the 'Aurat March' has become a platform for women and marginalised groups to raise issues like domestic violence, forced marriages and access to justice. Agree or disagree with the slogans of the marchers, their right to gather and speak must be protected.
The leadership of 'Aurat March', civil society members and rights activists have slammed the Pakistani authorities for “manhandling and threatening them and forcing them to sign unreasonable affidavits”. While addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, they demanded a probe into the incident and action against those involved in it.
Farzana Bari, a prominent activist who was also detained along with her daughters, noted that the march was held each year. "We were aware that Section 144 was imposed in the federal capital, but civil society does not accept any law which is in violation of basic rights. You cannot take away our right to protest. Similar protests were held across the globe, but we were stopped by the threat that a suicide bomber had come and that it might blow up," Dawn quoted her as saying.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Secretary General Haris Khaliq said that they don't believe in the violation of the law, however, societies can't run with laws like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and others.
"Yesterday girls were manhandled and beaten. They were taken into custody and shifted to a women police station. When their relatives and friends reached there, they were also locked up. Baton charge was used against the girls, their hair was pulled, and they were forced to sign fake affidavits," Dawn quoted Khaliq as saying.
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