Activist Gulalai Ismail thanks PM Khan for 'ensuring her release' after 30-hour detention
Rights activist Gulalai Ismail on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan "for ensuring [her] release" after she was detained for 30 hours following a protest outside Islamabad Press Club earlier this week.
Ismail and 17 others associated with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) were arrested by Islamabad police on Tuesday and detained after they participated in the protest demonstration.
PTM is a rights-based alliance that, besides calling for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement in the latter, has insisted on an end to the practices of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, and for their practitioners to be held to account within a truth and reconciliation framework.
Ismail was released on Wednesday night, but the others who were arrested remain in police custody.
In a series of tweets posted hours after she was freed from Adiala jail, Ismail said: "Thank you Prime Minister Imran Khan for ensuring my release. These were tedious 30 hours for my family. Please help to bring out our other 17 friends."
She also called upon the prime minister to hold those "accountable who are dismantling our constitutional rights".
"Only holding those accountable who are dismantling our constitutional rights can bring prosperity to this country. Stronger parliament, stronger Pakistan," she tweeted.
Ismail also praised Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari for "support and "tremendous efforts in finding [Ismail]".
She reminded Mazari that 17 activists were still in custody, adding that: "[their] constitutional rights are getting violating at the whim of unknown."
Talking to DawnNewsTV, the activist said that after being arrested on Tuesday, she was first detained in a women's police station in Islamabad. The next morning, she was shifted to a women's hostel and then taken to the Aabpara police station, from where the arrested were taken to Adiala after a five-hour wait.
On Wednesday night, she was brought back to the women's police station in Islamabad, where she had been initially held and subsequently released. The rights activist said that the police still had not returned her phone and were misleading her by telling her she could get it from one police station or the other.
She alleged that the police had "continuously misguided" her family by telling them that Ismail had been detained by the intelligence agencies.
"I was in the custody of the police," she said.
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Comments (71) Closed
Feb 07, 2019 01:05pm
This is what a hero looks like! Kudos...
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
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Feb 07, 2019 01:09pm
She is a confirmed troublemaker for the peace and must face the law. No sacred cow or gender lenient treatment.
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Feb 07, 2019 01:15pm
Listen, lady, what is your profession, how you earn that you afford expensive foreign tours, family and your daily expenses. if someone is sponsoring your trips, who are they, what they want back from you, I am sure you are not Nelsen Medela or Mala that you will inspire people from your speeches but still, BIG WHAT, WHO and WHY awaits your answers.
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Feb 07, 2019 01:48pm
Sounds like a staged drama.
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Feb 07, 2019 01:48pm
Easiest way to become hero: Get a lady picked up and then release her as a big favor!!
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Feb 07, 2019 01:50pm
There are series of tweets she had done, to get clear picture, please go through all tweets.
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Feb 07, 2019 01:50pm
She like malala, is playing her part towards the fifth generation warfare.
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Feb 07, 2019 01:51pm
She is real soldier!
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Feb 07, 2019 02:06pm
these people are out of control / for people do not agree with them.
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Feb 07, 2019 02:06pm
Where is the interior and defense ministry?. Who is running those ministries. It is not the job of Imran Khan to intervene like that. Moreover why people are being abducted in the first place.?
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Feb 07, 2019 02:12pm
@Gordon D. Walker, Do you really think that Writing 'Canada' in the end makes you cool or something.
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Feb 07, 2019 02:18pm
Ptm represent heavely funded foreign stuges
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Feb 07, 2019 02:27pm
we are proud of you,you have to fight for your rights.
well done
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Feb 07, 2019 02:27pm
@M. Saeed, Prosecute her for her crimes in a court of law, But also stand with her for the defense of her rights.
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Feb 07, 2019 02:29pm
She is so brave. We are all behind you sister. She can encourage other women in Pakistan to stand up. Such inspiration for young women in Pakistan.
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Feb 07, 2019 02:34pm
@Art KP , at whose orders does she work, and where does her NGO funding really come from, for the expensive trips to London, funds funneled thru the British for 3rd parties with nefarious designs against Pakistans solidarity. She is no hero, but an unpatriotic fool.
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Feb 07, 2019 02:48pm
What happened to those who kidnapped her. Will IK act against them or mere optics
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Feb 07, 2019 03:09pm
@M. Saeed,
Which law has she broken?
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Feb 07, 2019 03:11pm
@M. Saeed, What she is fighting for is indeed peace and harmony between all communities of Pakistan. Please connect with them directly to get the real story instead of asking others with little knowledge of issue.
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Feb 07, 2019 03:26pm
agent
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Feb 07, 2019 03:26pm
GULALAI is a,real hero for standing up for the rights of Pushtun prople. A peaceful demonstration is her right and she,was,illegally detained by the police. Who gave the ,order to arrest her and 17 other people. This is a, police state and people,s rights, are being violated.
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Feb 07, 2019 03:31pm
keep it up Gulalai...
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Feb 07, 2019 03:37pm
@Gordon D. Walker, Now she should join PTI.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:00pm
She’s Inciting violence and hatred against other ethnicities and the state
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Feb 07, 2019 04:04pm
Good for you, glad to hear.
As usual see some idiotic comments from a few fools. Haters will always hate.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:17pm
Poor Pakistan had always been taken for granted by all top to bottom segment of society.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:24pm
Well done Kaptan for saving this brave lady from the clutches of evil...
You are a decent Man.Our country is in good hands
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Feb 07, 2019 04:26pm
Yet to understand the agenda here. Pakhtoons are second most privileged section in the country. The disturbance caused is mainly because of wars in Afghanistan.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:27pm
Deep State is alive and well.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:49pm
Will not achieve anything by suppressing sane voices. If speak the truth this is what you face in this country instead of understanding the plight and take action on the same.
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Feb 07, 2019 04:49pm
She must understand that her sponsor are using her for their malicious designs to which she shouldn’t fall prey. It is still time to get rid of them otherwise she will face very difficult time in future. Her family must also realize the severity of situation. The people who are backing her are enjoying their life in safe heavens and she is being used as a tool for she will not gain any thing.
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Feb 07, 2019 05:00pm
A lady with no weapons defeated a deep state with all resources are weapons. That's the power of truth, and that's the power of media. No wonder why deep state is so terrified of the journalists.
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Feb 07, 2019 05:15pm
Another Nobel prize on the way ladies and gents.
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Feb 07, 2019 05:16pm
Welcome back home. East or West, home is the best.
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Feb 07, 2019 05:44pm
@Gaurav,
In India the deep state has full backing of Hindutva government. In Pakistan she openly spoke against the state and now eating her words. Pukhtoons have rejected the traitors.
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Feb 07, 2019 05:55pm
@Prateik, “Sounds like a staged drama.” You are damn right. The whole peaceful world seems “staged drama” compared to real drama playing out in Kashmir for last more than 70 years with men & children being butchered, women raped & homes set on fire. That genocide is the real stuff representing tthe real state terrorism of Indian government..
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Feb 07, 2019 06:16pm
Now she is a confirmed planted stooge of outside anti Pakistan elements., and has help of corrupt insiders. Dr Shahid Masood did not give any such statement but she did. IK do not interfere in different departments and want them to be independent. This is fifth generation warfare and she is an anti Pakistan puppet. I am even more convinced now, and I will post on other social media places to. We need to identify these fifth generation ware fare anti Pakistan elements.
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Feb 07, 2019 06:28pm
@Art KP , agreed
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Feb 07, 2019 06:31pm
Lock her up, she’s an attention seeking enemy of the state.
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Feb 07, 2019 07:00pm
who created space for organizations like PTM to even have a list of demands.
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Feb 07, 2019 07:02pm
@Mohsin Malik bhai
IMRAN KHAN is our interior minister and ministry of defence has nothing to do with such incidents.
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Feb 07, 2019 07:35pm
@Shahenshah, writing canada means to remind failed policies of justin Trudeau
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Feb 07, 2019 07:37pm
@BhaRAT, Will you please quote her one word where she incited violence?
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Feb 07, 2019 07:43pm
Kick her foundation of of the country and ban her for live. If she doesn't comply jail her. She is working for terrorist and foreign funded NGO's.
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Feb 07, 2019 07:49pm
@Gaurav, There’s no such thing as deep state here in Pakistan If that was the case she wouldn’t have been released but there’s definitely a Deep state in India who are Insecure to an extent that they even felt threatened by tweets of Sanjiv Bhat now he’s missing for the last few months put your own house in order first and ensure freedom of speech in your own country first before worrying about others
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Feb 07, 2019 07:53pm
PTM does not represent me. These people are trained spies send to divide the nation. They are doing politics on violence.
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Feb 07, 2019 07:59pm
The Pm handled the situation fairly well. What Ms. Ismail says makes lot of sense. Let others who are held, unless there are real reasons to hold any one, let them go.
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Feb 07, 2019 08:08pm
Who is she?
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Feb 07, 2019 08:25pm
@Imtiaz Hunzai (Berlin), Your comments show ignorance. A person doesn't have to be rich to fight for the constitutional rights given to every citizen. I commend Gulalai Ismail's bravery to stand up for Pashtun's rights
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Feb 07, 2019 08:25pm
Foreign paid liberal and trouble makers into face of rights activists
They should be deeply watched and monitored
And cut the finance they get from our evil enemies
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Feb 07, 2019 09:17pm
@Raza, Follow the money and source. If trouble maker, ban it. PK has enough problems of its own.
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Feb 07, 2019 09:18pm
So from "rights"of Pashtuns your demand has shifted to supremacy of parliament. Such duplicity and confusion basically exposes your true agenda
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Feb 07, 2019 09:36pm
Now stop anti Pakistan activities.
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Feb 07, 2019 10:00pm
She seems to be more of a show-off than human rights activist. Human rights only for one ethnicity or a people, who simply speak a different language, is more like a ethnic parochial statements and activity. True human rights workers and activists work beyond all ethnic, religious, linguistic and national divides and stand up uniformly for all people whose human rights are violated. The fact is that she is just using the ethnic divide card under the umbrella of human rights to incite ethnic divide. Not good.
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Feb 07, 2019 11:42pm
Whenever Pakistan brings up the issue of human rights violations in Indian held Kashmir on international forum, these PTM guys come out of the woodworks.
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Feb 08, 2019 12:24am
@moeazzi, you nailed it
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Feb 08, 2019 01:51am
@M. Saeed,
Any woman who stands up for her rights , for girls and women's rights and protests against illegal enforced disappearances,then gets international attention and support for her cause is viewed as a threat to the Pakistani male establishment. Feeling your power is weakening? Try sharing what is not your right to monopolize.
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Feb 08, 2019 02:18am
That's pathetic; why she feels she has to thank IK for her release.
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Feb 08, 2019 03:24am
We have many like her in Pakistan using NGO with fake agenda to make money from outside forces....the moral decay of the society is not limited to its politicians.....
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Feb 08, 2019 03:29am
@Imtiaz Hunzai (Berlin), she represents sentiments of Pakistan's pashtoon population who revere and support her all over the globe.
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Feb 08, 2019 03:48am
@ Imtiaz Hunzai (Berlin) - too right. no one has asked her these questions. about time govt looks into it and i'm sure we'll find 'external' hands at play !
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Feb 08, 2019 06:11am
@M. Saeed, she has the right to protest peacefully.....
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Feb 08, 2019 10:19am
She should not raise voice only for Pashtoons but also for thousands of extra judicial murders of Mohajirs in Karachi going on from several decades
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Feb 08, 2019 10:26am
Who is she again? New faces proping up everywhere. Someone investing heavily.
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Feb 08, 2019 02:38pm
@Imtiaz Hunzai (Berlin), excellent questions.
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Feb 08, 2019 02:40pm
@Raza, agree. IK made a mistake to intervene. let other organizations do their jobs.
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Feb 08, 2019 03:45pm
@Mohsin Malik, IK is running Interior Ministry himself so he had to deal with this issue himself.
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Feb 08, 2019 09:03pm
@Imtiaz Hunzai (Berlin), it is the job of those to determine who she being sponsored who are paid billions by the tax payers money. She is just exercising her constitunal right of protest and who else knows it better than our beloved PM that what that right means who kept Islamabad under siege for 6 months, cheers.
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Feb 09, 2019 01:53pm
She has been threatened not to reveal what is really happening in Pakistan
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Feb 09, 2019 01:55pm
Pakistan is terrified of people like her who expose the truth
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Feb 09, 2019 07:13pm
She is on the payroll of Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies. Sooner or later the facts will come out.
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