KARACHI: Police on Thursday “picked up” Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairman Asad Iqbal Butt in a raid on his Federal B Area residence on Thursday in a bid to stop his participation in the July 28 rally against enforced disappearance in Gwadar, rights activists and police sources.

A police officer, who wished not to be named, told Dawn that the HRCP chief was “detained” by the police from his residence over reports that a rally was being organised by the Baloch Yakjehi Committee (BYC). However, he was released later, he added.

HRCP member Prof Dr Tauseef Ahmed told Dawn that the Gulberg police along with policewomen arrived at Mr Butt’s residence at around 1:30pm.

They “detained” the HRCP chief and brought him at the Gulberg police station, where he was asked as to whether he was going to attend the Baloch conference in Gwadar scheduled to be held on July 28.

Dr Tauseef and other rights activists reached the police station and finally Mr Butt was released at around 4pm. “We have brought Mr Butt from Gulberg police station to his home now,” Dr Tauseef told Dawn.

As the news of Mr Butt’s detention spread, the HRCP demanded immediate and ‘unconditional’ release of its chairperson and said that he was ’arbitrarily detained by the police“ in Karachi. “The HRCP believes that this measure is an intimidation tactic designed to stifle the voice of human rights defenders like Mr Butt,” it added.

Meanwhile, BYC organisers claimed that their several workers had been picked up by law enforcement agencies from different parts of Karachi since Wednesday.

They claimed that three Baloch activists were taken away from Lyari for distributing pamphlets and installing banners for the BYC gathering in Gwadar, where leaders of different political parties and rights activists from across the country were expected to attend and discuss the issue of enforced disappearances.

A fourth activist was taken away from Old Golimar allegedly by law enforcement agencies, they added.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2024