This story written by Ramna Saeed and R Umaima Ahmed originally appeared on Global Voices on March 14, 2026.
This year, on March 8, International Women’s Day, participants of the Islamabad chapter of the Aurat March (Women’s March) faced extreme brutality and arrests by the authorities after attempting to hold their annual rally in Pakistan’s capital. Organizers from the feminist collective Hum Aurtein say police used force to disperse the gathering and arrested more than 35 women, including several well-known activists. Authorities accused the group of violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a legal provision that bans public assemblies in designated areas. The detainees were released later that evening after nearly 10 hours in custody.
For the past eight years, Aurat March organizers have marked International Women’s Day (March 8) with creative demonstrations to raise awareness against patriarchy and advocate for the rights of women and marginalized communities in Pakistan. Over the years, marches have been typically organized in several major cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Multan, where the four chapters are based. While the rallies have often faced pushback from authorities and conservative religious groups, organizers say this year’s detentions in Islamabad marked an unusually severe response.
On the morning of March 8, Aurat March organizers and participants gathered at a supermarket in Sector F-6, intending to march toward the Islamabad Press Club located downtown. Before the rally could begin, police detained the group and transported them in prison vans. Their mobile phones were confiscated, and they were taken to the Women’s Police Station in G-7. Witnesses said that friends and family members who arrived at the station seeking information about the detainees were also threatened with arrest.
Global Voices reporter at the scene observed police officers baton-charging people gathered outside the G-7 Women’s Police Station. Anyone standing near the station risked being detained. The area had been placed under heavy security, with a large police presence surrounding the building. And when members of the Global Voices reporting team attempted to document the situation, officers warned that they could also be arrested if they did not leave. Several individuals who tried to approach or enter the station were taken into custody.
According to a list issued by security authorities, a copy of which was obtained by Global Voices, at least 27 men and 34 women were taken into custody.
Police said the participants were detained for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a legal order that restricts public gatherings and had been in place in Islamabad since the previous week. Authorities imposed the measure after protests erupted following reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in strikes reportedly carried out by Israel and the United States.
Police also circulated a document stating that Aurat March organizers had been informed in advance about the Section 144 restrictions. However, participants disputed this claim, saying they had not received any such notice. Journalist Azaz Syed shared the document on X (formerly Twitter).
Islamabad Police had written a letter to Ms. Farzana Bari yesterday informing her about Section 144 in the city. However, if she was informed, the police did their job. But is it appropriate to have administrative and police officers appear in front of a controversial character and assure them?Azaz Syed (@AzazSyed) March 8, 2026
The Global Voices team spoke to several people who had been detained outside the G-7 Women’s Police Station. Many said they had been held together in cramped conditions in a single cell. Mavra Bari, a sociologist and activist, said nearly 80 women and children were confined in a small cell with a nonfunctional washroom and little space to sit. She noted that girls as young as 14 were among the detainees and that they were not allowed to contact their families. Bari said she had gone to the station only to check on her mother and sister, not as a march participant, and alleged that police violently snatched phones, pushed and shoved people, and even pulled some women’s hair and clothing. Male allies who accompanied them were beaten with batons, with one suffering fractures.
According to Bari, the arrests of about 34 women and 34 men took place despite no violation of Section 144, as many were simply outside the station inquiring about detained organizers. “The treatment was inhumane,” she said, adding that many detainees were released only after signing undertakings related to Section 144. She emphasized that Aurat March is intended as a “creative celebration of International Women’s Day,” designed to highlight issues such as gender-based violence and the persecution of activists. “The arrests stood in stark contrast to official messages celebrating women’s rights on the same day,” she said.
One woman, who requested anonymity, told Global Voices that detainees were pressured to sign an affidavit containing threatening language. According to her, the document stated that they had caused a “disturbance to the police” and committed various legal violations, and included a clause requiring them to pledge that they would not participate in similar events again.
Even journalists were not spared. Those who went to cover the incident and speak with the families of the participants were reportedly detained and manhandled.
Freedom Network, an organization that monitors press freedom violations, issued a statement condemning the crackdown on both the Aurat March participants and the journalists.
Aurat March organizers, alongside the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, held a press conference at the Islamabad Press Club to protest the police’s handling of the march. They spoke out against the manhandling, threats, and the pressure to sign what they described as unreasonable affidavits. The organizers demanded an investigation into the incident and called for accountability for those responsible.
During the conference, they acknowledged that Section 144 had been in effect in the federal capital but emphasized that civil society does not accept laws that violate citizens’ fundamental rights. They also said that authorities had warned of a potential suicide bomber threat. Meanwhile, friends and family members who went to the police stations to check on the detainees were reportedly detained themselves and faced threats.
Human rights activists criticized the government’s response. Nishat Maryam told Global Voices that state pressure around the march has intensified over the years, but this year’s crackdown was unprecedented. She added that it reflected the state’s priorities: “Rapists roam freely, yet the state targets unarmed, peaceful protesters. As a woman, I condemn this behavior — it generates deep anger and frustration,” she said.
Syeda Kashamala, a lawyer detained while checking on colleagues, questioned the legality of the arrests. “Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly, while Article 19 protects freedom of expression,” she said, noting that Section 144, a colonial-era provision historically used to curb dissent, restricts public gatherings. “It is troubling that such a law is still used in a constitutional democracy where assembly is a fundamental right,” Kashamala added. Articles 9 and 10 provide safeguards against arbitrary detention and protect the grounds of arrest.
Police initially sought to apply Sections 188 and 352 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relate to disobedience of orders issued by public servants and interference with government operations. However, after several hours of negotiations between authorities, senior activists, and political representatives, those detained were released after signing a written undertaking.
The incident was raised in Pakistan’s parliament the following day. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry defended the arrests, accusing the march participants of deliberately attempting to create a law-and-order situation. Meanwhile, lawmakers Shazia Marri and Nafeesa Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from the ruling coalition criticized the police response and condemned the treatment of the activists. Journalist Ali Hamza reported this on X:
The ongoing challenges for Aurat March
The march has consistently faced resistance from authorities and religious groups in previous years, and this year, the Islamabad chapter experienced an unusually harsh response, creating uncertainty for the other planned Aurat March events for this year.
Like last year, the Aurat March is planned to be held on different dates across different cities. The march is scheduled to be held in Karachi on Mother’s Day on May 10.
However, the Lahore chapter announced on March 8 that it will not hold a march this year, due to the observance of the holy month of Ramadan (a holy month for Muslims).
Laiba Zainab, from the Aurat March Multan chapter, told Global Voices that the organizers are monitoring the ongoing Iran war situation and will announce the march date soon. The march is planned to be dedicated to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatta, both of whom were sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of “cyber terrorism” and spreading “false information” for posts on the social media platform X, in which they expressed solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticized the Pakistan military.
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