Aurat March Organiser Detained Outside Karachi Press Club

KARACHI: Aurat March organiser Sheema Kermani and several women’s rights activists were briefly detained outside the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday during a tense police action linked to a planned press conference. The incident quickly drew attention because it involved a well-known cultural figure, women activists and a representative of the transgender community.

According to the report, a heavy police presence had been deployed outside the KPC before the activists arrived. Police said the deployment was made due to concerns about a possible breach of peace, but activists argued that the gathering was peaceful and connected to upcoming Women’s Day-related activities.

Female police officers moved in as members associated with Aurat March and Aurat Foundation reached the venue. Witnesses and activists alleged that Sheema Kermani, a Pride of Performance recipient, was pulled from her vehicle and taken into custody along with around 15 others.

The detained participants were shifted to the Artillery Maidan police station before being released after what police described as administrative intervention by senior Sindh government officials. After their release, the activists returned to the Karachi Press Club and continued speaking to the media.

Sheema Kermani said the Aurat Foundation had planned an Aurat March event at Seaview on May 10 in connection with Mother’s Day. She stated that an application for a no-objection certificate had been submitted to the relevant authorities about three weeks earlier, but approval had still not been issued.

She criticised the Sindh government and the Pakistan Peoples Party, saying a party that publicly supports women’s rights should not allow such treatment of peaceful women activists. She described the police action as unprecedented and demanded an official apology from the provincial government.

The incident has wider significance because the Aurat March has long remained a flashpoint in Pakistan’s public debate over women’s rights, civic freedoms and state regulation of public assemblies. Supporters see the march as a platform for constitutional rights and gender justice, while opponents have often challenged its slogans and public visibility.

For Karachi, the detention raised fresh questions about how authorities handle peaceful gatherings outside the city’s main press club, a venue traditionally used for demonstrations, press briefings and civil-society campaigns. Rights activists are likely to view the episode as another test of the state’s tolerance for dissent and public mobilisation.

The next step will depend on whether the Sindh government responds to the demand for an apology and clarifies the status of the planned May 10 event. Activists are also expected to continue pressing for approval of their gathering and accountability for the police action outside the KPC.