December 5, 2025
By Shoukat Korai
KARACHI
In response to a situation that took place in Karachi a day ago, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) issued a statement on Friday strongly condemning the action by the Karachi police.
Karachi police had sparked outrage on Thursday when they obstructed a scheduled press conference by the women’s rights group Aurat March (Karachi chapter), which was demanding the recovery of two missing Baloch girls. The police action – marked by violence – outside the Karachi Press Club led to the brief detention and manhandling of activists and reporters, drawing swift and strong condemnation from human rights organizations.
“HRCP condemns the police obstruction of Aurat March’s scheduled press conference at the Karachi Press Club yesterday and the brief detention and manhandling of activists and reporters, including well-known rights activist Sheema Kirmani. We are also alarmed that journalist Zofeen Ebrahim was barred from entering the press club. HRCP urges the authorities to respect all people’s access to civic spaces and investigate the alleged police misconduct.”
Blockade, assault, and arrests
The confrontation began after Aurat March announced the press conference for the recovery of 15-year-old Nasreena Baloch and Mahjabeen Baloch, both reportedly missing from Balochistan. In response, police blocked all roads leading to the Press Club and began arresting anyone attempting to approach the venue.
Renowned artist Sheema Kirmani was reportedly targeted as soon as she entered the premises. According to her statement, police attempted to arrest her, allegedly pulling her hair, pushing her, and tearing her clothes.
“The state wants to cut out our tongues!” she cried in anger.
Police also blocked the path of other women seeking to reach the Press Club, including senior journalist Zofeen T. Ebrahim, who was prevented from entering the venue. While several female journalists were eventually allowed to remain after being identified, many were turned back. Among those detained was a woman dressed in traditional Balochi attire, who repeatedly stated she was unaffiliated with the protest.
Minority rights activist Surita Jagdish was also arrested outside the club before being released, saying she was forced into a vehicle despite having no connection to the demonstration.
Activists present at the situation lamented what had happened, noting that one of the missing Baloch women was just a school student and the other was a person with a polio-related disability. They had all come to Press Club in solidarity with the missing girls and to ‘be their voice’.
“The state wants to strangle them.” Furthermore, Aurat March leaders reported that Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Samiuddin Baloch, who was scheduled to participate, was also allegedly stopped and harassed by the police.
Systemic escalation: targeting Baloch women and girls
The crackdown occurred against the backdrop of a broader human rights appeal. In a press statement on December 3, Aurat March Karachi had demanded the immediate and safe return of Nasreena and Mahjabeen, calling for an end to the enforced disappearances of Baloch people, including the targeted abduction of women, minors, and persons with disabilities.
“For decades, Baloch men have been forcibly disappeared by the state, creating a long-standing human rights crisis… Despite years of mobilization and public demonstrations, the cruelty of these practices has not only continued—it has intensified,” the statement read.
Aurat March highlighted a “dangerous and deliberate escalation” in state tactics, pointing to the recent disappearances: 15-year-old Nasreena Baloch was abducted from Hub in November, and Mahjabeen Baloch was taken from Quetta earlier this year. The group argues that this shift, which increasingly targets women and girls, is political. It is “intended to break the backbone of Baloch activism by targeting the very women who have stepped into public leadership.”
Gendered state violence
Aurat March Karachi stressed that women engaged in this work face immense pressure, including threats, harassment, or the disappearance of their relatives.
“Silencing Baloch women is not collateral damage; it is strategy,” the statement asserted. “By abducting young girls and women, the state aims to punish families who resist and deter women from public activism. This is gendered state violence at its starkest.”
The group further noted that even women not involved in political activity are being restricted, pointing to the use of the 4th Schedule as a tool of coercion. “Many unaffiliated women are being placed on this list, restricting their freedom of movement and effectively holding them “captive within their own communities,” which deepens a climate of fear.
Aurat March Karachi concluded its appeal by demanding transparency from state institutions, accountability for every agency involved in the abductions, and protection for families and activists seeking justice and visibility.