Lahore [Pakistan] October 15 : The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called on the Sindh government to urgently investigate the violent treatment of civil society activists during the Sindh Rawadari March in Karachi on October 13. During the march, numerous participants, including HRCP Sindh vice-chair Qazi Khizer Habib, were arrested, and many including women, were subjected to physical assaults by the Karachi police.
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Although the detainees were released afterwards, HRCP contended that the imposition of Section 144 in Karachi was unwarranted.
The march aimed to peacefully advocate for justice for Shahnawaz Kunbher, who was accused of blasphemy and subsequently shot dead by a police officer. HRCP emphasized that this event brought together progressive voices from across Sindh and should have been supported by any government claiming to uphold democratic and progressive values. Instead, an FIR has been filed against several protesters, including those who experienced violence at the hands of the police, and the FIR should be retracted immediately.
HRCP noted that while the counter-protest by the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) raised valid concerns about potential clashes, given their history of violence and extremist views on blasphemy, this did not justify the assault on participants of the Sindh Rawadari March. The police should have been prepared to protect the peaceful marchers from any violence that the TLP might have instigated.
Furthermore, HRCP stated that despite the constitutional guarantee of the right to peaceful assembly, this right has been consistently violated by the state in recent years. Section 144 is often applied arbitrarily against peaceful, rights-based gatherings. Both federal and provincial governments must recognize their responsibility as protectors of this right and are legally obligated to uphold and promote freedom of peaceful assembly.
According to reports by Dawn, on Sunday, police clashed with protesters outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) during a demonstration against the killing of blasphemy suspect Shahnawaz Kunbhar and rising extremism in Sindh. The 'Sindh Rawadari March' saw protesters gathered to condemn the "extrajudicial" killing of Shahnawaz, who had been accused of sharing blasphemous posts on social media. He was shot dead under mysterious circumstances during a gun battle with police in Mirpurkhas on September 19. Following an inquiry into the incident, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar acknowledged that the police had "staged the encounter."
The Sindh Rawadari March attracted progressive voices from across the province, including human rights defenders, trade unions, and feminist movements. Footage from TV and social media showed police using baton charges against demonstrators outside the KPC, including women, highlighting the escalating tensions surrounding the protest.