Karachi court orders release of five women held for staging protest against ‘enforced disappearance’

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Sunday discharged five women, including a Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) activist, who were arrested for staging a protest outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) a day before and booked in a sedition case.

On Saturday, police arrested BYC activist Fozia Baloch, her mother and their three other companions for staging the protest against the alleged enforced disappearance of her brother, Daad Shah.

They were booked in a case registered under Sections 124-A (sedition), 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), and 186 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Artillery Maidan police station.

On Sunday, the investigating officer of the case brought them before the special duty magistrate (South) and submitted that the women staged a rally in Red Zone in violation of Section 144 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) and chanted slogans against the “state and its institutions”.

Police say BYC activist Fozia, her mother and three others took out rally in Red Zone, chanted slogans against state institutions

The IO asked the court to remand the five women in police custody for interrogation.

However, their counsel Jibran Nasir requested the court to discharge them under Section 63 (discharge of person apprehended) of the CrPC.

After hearing both sides, the court discharged the five women on personal bonds and directed the IO to submit an investigation report within the stipulated period in accordance with law.

Later, Jibran Nasir claimed in a Facebook post that Daad was allegedly “abducted on April 21” and the Mauripur police station had refused to receive an application for registration of an FIR filed by Fozia and her mother regarding his alleged abduction.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026