The Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP) on Friday strongly condemned the “arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders Tahira Abdullah and Samina Omar in Islamabad,” said the commission in a position on X.
According to the post, the couple was arrested outside the National Press Club before a protest in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
“Since none of them was part of any public meeting at that time, their actions in no way constitute a violation of section 144 as the police alleged,” said the statement.
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is a legal provision that allows district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
The statement said the commission was “worried to knowing that [the women] They are supposedly not given access to their legal advisor. ”
“Both Mrs. Abdullah and Mrs. Omar must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said HRCP.
The protest was organized by former senator Jamaat-i-Islami Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. Today early, he announced the call to protest in an X publication, declaring: “This is an appeal for participation.”
More to follow
