Aurat March leaders briefly detained outside Karachi Press Club

KARACHI: Police on Wednesday briefly detained several leaders of the Aurat March, including activist and artist Sheema Kermani, outside the Karachi Press Club when they gathered for a press conference.

According to organisers, those detained also included transgender activist Shehzadi Rai, Muniza, and others.

Police shifted several women leaders to a nearby police station, where they were released shortly afterwards, South SSP Manzoor Ali confirmed.

Following the incident, security around the press club was heightened.

Aurat March organisers said the participants had assembled solely for a media briefing when the police action took place.

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Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan strongly condemned the detentions, calling them part of a “deeply troubling pattern” of restricting public space for citizens.

In a statement, the commission said the incident reflected an “increasingly repressive approach to governance,” adding that the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are constitutionally guaranteed.

It further noted that preventing citizens — particularly women and marginalised groups — from holding a press conference undermines democratic norms and treats dissent as a threat rather than a necessary component of a functioning society.