Police detain protesters heading to Karachi Press Club for TTAP’s protest against 27th Amendment

The Karachi police on Friday detained about half a dozen people to prevent them from moving towards the venue of a scheduled protest by the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), held as part of countrywide demonstrations against the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment.

All roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) were closed by the police after buses and other heavy vehicles were parked to block access. Contingents of female personnel were also deployed in addition to other personnel.

Some protesters were detained as they attempted to reach KPC.

Also detained was civil society activist Alifya Sohail, not part of the TTAP protest, who was initially taken to the Artillery Maidan Police Station, where her phone was taken from her and she was not permitted to contact anyone.

She was subsequently moved to an unknown location. Civil rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir also highlighted the matter and called for her immediate release.

He claimed that she and another female activist were reportedly taken to the Women Police Station situated on Sharae Faisal.

“Both not being released. Allegations against both is they are members of PTI. So being a member of PTI is now a crime enough for you to be arrested without FIR and harassed by being taken from one police station to another,” he said.

PTI Sindh spokesperson Mohammed Ali Bozdar told Dawn that “more than two dozen protesters” were detained near the KPC.