February 4, 2026
Staff Report
LAHORE
Several leaders and workers affiliated with left-wing political parties were detained on Sunday outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) ahead of a multi-party conference organised by the Popular Left Alliance (PLA). Organisers said the detentions were aimed at preventing participants from attending the conference, a claim reportedly denied by the police.
According to Imdad Qazi, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Pakistan and convenor of the PLA, the conference was convened by a 10-party alliance to deliberate on democracy and the growing trend of authoritarianism in Pakistan. He said police contingents had already been deployed in and around the press club even before participants began arriving.
“Five veteran political workers, namely Husain Fatimi, Dr Hasan Nasir, Ramzan Memon, Shaheena Ramzan, Mohammad Farooq and three other activists were apprehended by the police outside the KPC to prevent them from attending the conference,” Qazi alleged.
Despite the detentions, the conference went ahead, with participants strongly condemning police action.
Mehnaz Rahman, a writer and activist, who is also a council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and a senior member of the Women Action Forum (WAF), told Voicepk that she attended the conference in her individual capacity.
“The conference had not even started when people began gathering at the press club. Some participants and organisers were arrested by the police before the event could formally begin,” she said. “Despite this, the conference still took place, and all participants condemned the police action. After a few hours, those detained were released.”
Husain Fatimi, Coordination Committee Secretary of the PLA, told Voicepk that he was the first person taken into custody, followed by other participants.
“I was the first to be detained, and then the police arrested other participants of our conference,” he said. “Those detained also included my elder brother, Dr Hasan Nasir, who is old and paralysed.”
Calling the detentions unlawful, Fatimi said the group was held for nearly seven hours at the Clifton Darakhshan Police Station without any explanation.
“This act of the state is highly condemnable. We were detained for seven hours, and when I asked the police officer what charges we were facing and why we were being held, the officer did not even know,” he said. “We were repeatedly told that they were receiving calls from higher authorities instructing them to keep us there.”
Fatimi said such conduct violated fundamental rights. “This behaviour cannot be tolerated. We have the right to freely express our opinions,” he said, adding that the police action had backfired. “The way they behaved only highlighted our event. These acts reflect the confusion and panic within the state and its institutions.”
Imdad Qazi also criticised the treatment of detained participants, particularly the detention of Dr Hasan Nasir.
“The way we were detained, and the fact that our comrade Dr Hasan Nasir, who is paralysed, was made to stay at the police station for seven hours, clearly exposes the fascist face of the state,” Qazi said. “We strongly condemn this act. We want to exercise our freedom of speech, and we believe real democracy must be restored in the country.”
Meanwhile, South Senior Superintendent of Police Mahzoor Ali reportedly denied claims that arrests were made outside the Karachi Press Club.
In a statement issued after the conference, the Popular Left Alliance said that “complete authoritarian rule has been imposed in the country,” alleging that repression was being carried out through institutions that claim democratic legitimacy.
The conference also raised serious concerns over the situation in Balochistan, calling for a political and democratic resolution in accordance with the wishes of the people of the province.
Participants demanded the repeal of laws and constitutional changes introduced over the past five years, including the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments. They also called for the dismantling of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), withdrawal of the Mining and Minerals Act, cancellation of notifications allocating millions of acres of land for corporate farming, and an end to enforced disappearances.
The moot further demanded the immediate release of all arrested and convicted political leaders, women and activists, naming Husain Fatimi, Dr Hasan Nasir, Ramzan Memon, Shaheena Ramzan, Iman Mazari-Hazir, Hadi Ali Chattha, Dr Mahrang Baloch and Dr Yasmin Rashid.
Participants also expressed solidarity with families affected by the Gul Plaza fire, calling for accountability and stronger safety measures to prevent similar incidents. Concerns were also raised over what speakers described as increasing pressure on press clubs across the country.
The conference concluded with a condemnation of recent US actions in Venezuela and warnings against further military aggression against Iran, urging the Pakistani government to adopt a clear stance against such acts.