Sheema Kermani demands apology from Sindh govt over ‘unprecedented’ police action
Aurat March organiser Sheema Kermani, along with several other women activists and a representative of the transgender community, was briefly taken into custody by police outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday amid a protest related to upcoming Women’s Day activities.
According to police, a heavy contingent of law enforcers was deployed outside the KPC due to what they described as concerns over a possible breach of peace. As women associated with the Aurat March and Aurat Foundation arrived at the venue for a scheduled press conference, female police officers moved in and detained several participants on the spot.
Witnesses and activists alleged that Sheema, a recipient of the Pride of Performance award, was forcibly removed from her vehicle along with other women and taken into custody along with nearly 15 participants. They were later shifted to the Artillery Maidan police station.
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The detained women were released following what police described as “administrative intervention” by senior Sindh government officials. After their release, the activists returned to the KPC and continued their engagement with the media.
Speaking to The Express Tribune after her release, Sheema said that the Aurat Foundation had planned to organise an Aurat March at Seaview on May 10 in connection with Mother’s Day, saying that an NOC for the event had been submitted to the relevant authorities three weeks earlier but had not yet been approved.
She criticised the Sindh government, particularly the ruling PPP, saying that a party which claims to support women’s rights had allowed such treatment of women activists. She termed the police action “unprecedented” and questioned the justification behind the crackdown.
Sheema also said that the Aurat Foundation had not been informed of any specific reason for the police action. She added that if the government intended to hold its own event at Seaview on the same date, it should have communicated with them instead of preventing a peaceful gathering that has reportedly been held for the past eight years.
She demanded that the provincial government issue an apology to the women activists affected by the incident.
