The chairperson of a leading rights organization in Pakistan reported that he was detained by police in Karachi on Thursday for advocating on behalf of oppressed communities, particularly those from Balochistan.
Asad Iqbal Butt, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said that police arrived at his house around noon and took him to meet the Station House Officer (SHO) at Karachi’s Gulberg Police Station.
Butt recounted that the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) at the Gulberg station questioned him about his frequent visits to Quetta and involvement in organizing the Baloch rights movement.
“I explained that the movement organizes itself, and we support them when they face injustice, as we do for oppressed people of any ethnicity,” Butt stated.
Enforced disappearances remain a persistent issue in Pakistan, with relatives, politicians, and rights activists asserting that many missing individuals, especially in Balochistan province, have been abducted by Pakistani security forces under the pretext of combating militancy. The Pakistani government denies any involvement in enforced disappearances.
Butt mentioned that the police official accused him of having ties to the Baloch people. In response, he emphasized that he has ties to “oppressed people of every ethnicity, region, and religion.”
“I believe I was taken to the police station because HRCP issued a strong statement on the Bannu issue,” Butt said, referring to last week’s shooting at a peace rally in Bannu that resulted in a stampede, killing at least two and injuring 20 others.
He suggested another reason for his detention could be HRCP’s efforts to prevent police from detaining people from Karachi’s Lyari area who intended to attend an upcoming protest rally for “missing persons” in Gwadar city.
“They feared I would speak out, and HRCP’s support carries weight when it speaks,” Butt remarked.
Karachi police officials did not respond to a request for comment.
