Police arrested 17 organizers and participants of the annual Aurat March in Islamabad on Sunday as activists gathered to mark International Women’s Day.
The arrests took place in Sector F-6 of the federal capital, where participants had assembled for the rally. Organizers had announced plans to march from F-6 to D-Chowk, a key protest site in the city center. Police briefly blocked nearby roads during the operation, reopening them after the detainees were taken into custody. Veteran human rights activists Tahira Abdullah and Farazana Bari are among those arrested.
The Aurat March X account quoted three journalists who were later released as saying that women were dragged and beaten up by police while being arrested.
District administration officials said the event had not been granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which is required to hold public gatherings. They added that Section 144 – a legal provision restricting public assemblies – was in effect in Islamabad at the time. Authorities said the participants were detained for violating these restrictions.
Aurat March organizers, however, said they had submitted an application for an NOC to the deputy commissioner roughly a month earlier and that their request had not been formally rejected.
The arrests drew widespread condemnation.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a post on X: “HRCP demands the immediate release of @Aurat_marchisb organisers and participants, who were arrested earlier today by the Islamabad police. Marking International Women’s Day is the legitimate right of all Pakistani women and must be respected by the authorities. Such oppressive measures in the name of maintaining law and order are highly deplorable.”
Former senator Farhatullah Babar tweeted: “Women activists in front of press club Islamabad arrested without provocation on Int’l Women Day today and sent to women police station. We are at police station for over 2 hours wanting to see them but access is not allowed. Sad, unfortunate. Demand immediate release.”
Former state minister and leader of the Awam Pakistan party, Zafar Mirza, wrote on X: “@AwamPakistan condemn the arrests of the participants of the Aurat March in Islamabad today on the occasion of International Women Day. Peaceful protest is the constitutional and democratic right of every citizen, and actions such as arrests for exercising this right are against democratic values. The government and relevant institutions should respect this fundamental right of citizens and immediately release the arrested persons.
However, Awaam Pakistan also emphasize that all protestors should abide by the law and regulations so that the protest remains peaceful and does not create any kind of unrest or conflict.”
The Aurat March is an annual demonstration held in several Pakistani cities on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day and highlight issues such as gender-based violence, workplace discrimination, and women’s rights.
The rallies have frequently faced pushback from authorities and conservative groups. In 2023, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators during the march in Islamabad, with officers blocking access to protest sites and attempting to disperse participants. In other years, organizers have faced legal petitions seeking to halt the demonstrations, as well as police cases and accusations over slogans and banners displayed during the rallies.
The writer is an Assistant Editor at Dissent Today, focusing on extremism and political violence.
