What happened
Islamabad police detained 44 participants of the Aurat March on Sunday, 8 March 2026, as they gathered near Super Market in Sector F-6 to hold their annual International Women’s Day rally, according to police sources cited by Dawn. The group comprised 25 men and 19 women.
Among those taken into custody were prominent human rights activist Dr Farzana Bari and two of her daughters, and human rights defender Tahira Abdullah, along with other organisers and participants. Police said the activists were picked up because Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) remained in force in the federal capital, an order imposed the previous week after unrest linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran. The district administration had denied a no-objection certificate to the march, which police described as an “illegal activity”. Police sources also told Dawn that the Lal Masjid administration had vowed to stop the march, creating a risk of a clash, and that detaining the activists was seen as the more appropriate way to avoid a law-and-order situation.
Participants said marchers had gathered near Super Market and had no intention of heading towards D-Chowk. Civil society activist Tariq Mehmood Ghouri said some people who went to the Women Police Station to seek the release of those held were also detained, and that marchers were manhandled. The Women’s Police Station released a list of 19 women held. Aurat March Islamabad condemned the arrests, saying they targeted people “peacefully exercising their right to protest”, and asked participants to disperse to avoid further detentions.
Why it matters
The detentions put the state’s handling of peaceful assembly in the spotlight on the day Pakistan’s national leadership issued messages marking International Women’s Day. President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan was committed to its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was committed to an environment where women could realise their potential without discrimination or fear. Representatives of Aurat March had also held a press conference on the eve of the march, saying this year’s theme was a “Feminist Constitution” and demanding the repeal of the Hudood Ordinance, the Law of Evidence, the Qisas and Diyat laws, and the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments.
The reaction from institutions and political parties was swift. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) said peaceful assembly is a constitutional right for all citizens. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), through president Afzal Butt and secretary general Arshad Ansari, condemned the “arbitrary arrest” and manhandling of rights activists and journalists, including three women journalists. The PPP’s Human Rights Cell, represented by Ghouri, condemned the use of Section 144 and the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order (PAPO) Act 2024 and demanded that all charges against Bari and other activists be withdrawn. On Monday the incident was raised in parliament, where Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry defended the arrests, accusing participants of trying to create a law-and-order situation, while PPP lawmakers Shazia Marri and Nafeesa Shah criticised the police response.
The context was a capital already tense from the regional conflict. Organisers said the state pressure around the march had intensified, and Aurat March Karachi had earlier postponed its own event to Mother’s Day on 10 May, while the Lahore chapter announced on 8 March that it would not hold a march this year because of Ramazan.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 9 March 2026.
- Dawn — "Dozens of Aurat March activists, participants detained by police in Islamabad ahead of International Women's Day rally"Published 8 Mar 2026 · 44 participants detained (25 men, 19 women); names including Farzana Bari, her daughters and Tahira Abdullah; Section 144 and denied NoC; Lal Masjid clash risk; PPP Human Rights Cell reaction.
- Dawn — "Aurat March activists detained ahead of Women's Day demonstration"Published 9 Mar 2026 · NCHR, PFUJ and PPP condemnations; manhandling of three women journalists; parliament reaction including Talal Chaudhry, Shazia Marri and Nafeesa Shah; Women's Day messages by President Zardari and PM Shehbaz.
