A large number of women protesters led a rally in Gwadar, Balochistan, against the arrest of Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman, who is a leader of Haq Do Tehreek, a Gwadar rights movement, and has been in prison for more than 60 days now, over several dubious charges.
Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) is a protest movement against the government with issues comprising illegal trawling in Gwadar’s water, a high number of security checkpoints, and trade on the Pak-Iran border among others.
The Gwadar police had arrested Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman outside a local court where he had appeared for a hearing related to charges against him for the killing of a policeman during one of the protest demonstrations led by him.
Police had registered a First Information Report against Rehman and other leaders of the movement, including the former caretaker provincial minister Mir Naveed Kalmati, for causing damages to public and private properties.
The arrest has also drawn severe condemnations from the legal fraternity for taking Rehman as a prisoner within the court premises.
Politicians and human rights defenders have also condemned the arrest.
A large number of women protesters led a protest demonstration in Gwadar, demanding the release of Rehman. The women also protested against enforced disappearances among other issues.
Authorities in Pakistan are critical of dissenting voices and tend to take strict measures to silence them. Last month, Karachi Central Jail released a Member of the National Assembly and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir after two years of incarceration in sedition cases.
