Pakistani Authorities Detain Dozens During Women’s Day March in Islamabad
Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, witnessed a crackdown on Sunday as police stopped the Women’s March on International Women’s Day, detaining dozens of male and female activists.
According to a list released by security officials, 27 men and 34 women have so far been taken into custody. Police have not yet disclosed what legal action, if any, will be taken against those arrested.
The Islamabad district magistrate said the march organizers did not have a No Objection Certificate and noted that a ban on gatherings of four or more people is already in place in the federal capital for security reasons.
Several female reporters covering the march were also detained.
Many women were taken into custody near the Super Market area in Sector F-6. Protesters later moved toward the National Press Club, where a heavy police presence detained them and transferred them to the G-7 Women Police Station.
The Women’s March Islamabad released a video on social media showing leading rights activist Dr. Farzana Bari and other women inside a police vehicle.
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The organization strongly condemned the arrests, demanding the immediate release of the detained activists.
The Women’s March has instructed participants to return to their homes to ensure their safety and avoid further arrests.
The organization said, “We are working for the release of our detained colleagues and will challenge this injustice through all available means.”
This year’s Women’s March was held under the theme “Feminist Constitution.”
Since 2018, the march has been organized nationwide on International Women’s Day and is seen as a symbolic protest advocating women’s rights, gender equality, and social justice.
Human rights activist Sundas Batool told The Media Line that “state crackdowns have intensified in recent years, with even basic freedom of expression being curtailed.”
“State pressure is a recurring feature of the Women’s March every year, but this time the authorities went beyond all limits,” she said.
Batool added that the situation highlights how women in Pakistan are still treated as second-class citizens.
Pakistan’s last-place ranking in this year’s World Economic Forum gender equality index further highlights the systemic challenges women continue to face.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an organization working for human rights in the country, has demanded the immediate release of the Women’s March organizers and participants, saying that celebrating International Women’s Day is a legitimate right of all Pakistani women and that authorities should respect it
HRCP added that such oppressive measures in the name of maintaining law and order are extremely regrettable.
Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, said, “Why are the authorities so afraid that they are arresting women who simply want to hold a peaceful march? What are they afraid of? A few hundred women?”
