Released Aurat March participants held a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad on March 10, 2026, after being freed from police custody. The released Aurat March participants demanded a formal independent investigation into police conduct during the Aurat March 2026 crackdown — including allegations of baton charges, hair pulling, male officers body-searching female detainees, and forcing released Aurat March participants to sign fake affidavits before release. The released Aurat March participants called the March 8 crackdown a direct assault on Pakistan’s constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Background: What Is Aurat March 2026?
The Aurat March is Pakistan’s most prominent annual women’s rights demonstration, held each year on or around March 8 — International Women’s Day. Founded in 2018, Aurat March has become one of Pakistan’s most visible grassroots movements, bringing together women, transgender individuals, and rights activists across Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
Aurat March 2026 in Islamabad was planned as a peaceful rally from Sector F-6 to D-Chowk to mark International Women’s Day 2026.
Released Aurat March participants and organisers said they had submitted an application for a No Objection Certificate to the deputy commissioner approximately one month before Aurat March 2026. The district administration said no NOC had been issued and that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code — restricting public gatherings — remained enforced in the federal capital.
On March 6, 2026, Islamabad District Magistrate Irfan Memon formally warned Dr Farzana Bari that any assembly outside the National Press Club would be considered unlawful due to Section 144. Despite the warning, Aurat March 2026 participants gathered at F-6 Markaz on March 8 and were met by a large police contingent.
The crackdown on Aurat March 2026 resulted in the detention of 44 participants and sparked a national debate about civil liberties, women’s rights, and the limits of public order laws in Pakistan.
Details: Arrests, Detention and Release of Aurat March Participants
Aurat March 2026 — How the Arrests Happened
Aurat March 2026 participants had gathered at F-6 Markaz for the rally scheduled to begin at around 1pm on March 8. Half an hour before the rally was set to begin, police moved in and arrested all released Aurat March participants present at the gathering location.
A total of 44 Aurat March 2026 participants were detained — 25 men and 19 women. Among those arrested were prominent academic and activist Dr Farzana Bari and two of her daughters, veteran human rights defender Tahira Abdullah, rights activist Rukhsana Rashid — sister of author Ahmed Rashid — and HRCP Secretary General Haris Khalique’s wife Shabana, who was arrested simply for going to the police station to inquire about the released Aurat March participants detained earlier.
Three journalists covering Aurat March 2026 — Sehrish Qureshi, Farhat Fatima, and Ismat Jabeen — were also briefly detained before becoming released Aurat March participants.
Released Aurat March Participants List — Key Names
The released Aurat March participants list includes some of Pakistan’s most prominent civil society figures:
Dr Farzana Bari — leading academic and feminist activist, Quaid-i-Azam University
Tahira Abdullah — veteran human rights defender and founding member of HRCP
Rukhsana Rashid — rights activist and sister of internationally acclaimed author Ahmed Rashid
Shabana Haris Khalique — wife of HRCP Secretary General, arrested at police station
Three journalists — Sehrish Qureshi, Farhat Fatima, Ismat Jabeen — became released Aurat March participants after brief detention
The full released Aurat March participants list Pakistan-wide also includes dozens of unnamed students, activists, and bystanders detained across Kohsar Police Station, G-7 Police Station, and the Women’s Police Station in Islamabad.
What Happened to Released Aurat March Participants Inside Detention
Released Aurat March participants described deeply troubling conditions in police custody during their post-release press conference.
HRCP Secretary General Haris Khalique stated that released Aurat March participants reported baton charges, hair pulling, and male officers conducting body searches of female detainees. He also alleged that lawyers were refused access to released Aurat March participants while they were in custody.
The most serious allegation made by released Aurat March participants was that police forced detainees to sign affidavits stating they would not participate in such activities in the future — as a condition of their release. Released Aurat March participants said these were fake affidavits obtained under duress.
PPP Human Rights Cell Information Secretary Tariq Mahmood Ghouri stated that relatives of the detained Aurat March 2026 participants who went to police stations seeking information were themselves arrested. Family members of released Aurat March participants said they had no choice but to sign the affidavits to secure the release of their daughters.
Released Aurat March Participants — The Press Conference
Released Aurat March participants gathered at the National Press Club in Islamabad on the morning of March 10, 2026, hours after their release from custody. The released Aurat March participants formally demanded an independent inquiry into police conduct during Aurat March 2026.
HRCP Secretary General Haris Khalique — who attended the press conference alongside the released Aurat March participants — confirmed that Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and PPP Senator Sherry Rehman had played a role in securing the release of the Aurat March 2026 detainees.
Government Response to Released Aurat March Participants’ Demands
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry defended the arrests of Aurat March 2026 participants in the National Assembly. He stated that no NOC had been issued and that an illegal assembly had been deliberately organised to create a law and order situation.
PPP women members of the National Assembly — including Shazia Marri and Nafeesa Shah — protested against the arrests, arguing that police action against released Aurat March participants on International Women’s Day damaged Pakistan’s international reputation.
Dr Farzana Bari said released Aurat March participants Pakistan-wide were told police had received a suicide bomber threat as justification for stopping the march — but that civil society could not accept any law that violated fundamental constitutional rights.
Quotes
Dr Farzana Bari, released Aurat March participant, at National Press Club: “Civil society does not accept any law which is in violation of basic rights. You cannot take away our right to protest. We were told a suicide bomber had come — but similar demonstrations were taking place across the globe on the same day.”
HRCP Secretary General Haris Khalique, on released Aurat March participants and detention conditions: “Girls were manhandled and beaten. Baton charge was used, their hair was pulled, and they were forced to sign fake affidavits. With laws such as PECA in place, society cannot function.”
Aurat March Islamabad official statement, on Aurat March 2026 arrests: “We strongly condemn the arrests of released Aurat March participants who were peacefully exercising their right to protest. The detention of those who simply went to the police station to seek the release of their comrades is deeply unjust.”
PPP MNA Shazia Marri, in the National Assembly: “Police action against released Aurat March participants on International Women’s Day brought a bad name for Pakistan internationally. This is deeply regrettable.”
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, justifying arrests: “No NOC had been issued. An illegal assembly was organised. There was a deliberate attempt to create a law and order situation in the capital.”
HRCP statement on Aurat March 2026: “Marking International Women’s Day is the legitimate right of all Pakistani women and must be respected. Such oppressive measures are highly deplorable.”
Impact: What the Aurat March 2026 Crackdown Means for Pakistan
For Women’s Rights in Pakistan
The Aurat March 2026 arrests are the most serious crackdown on Pakistan’s women’s rights movement since the march began in 2018. Released Aurat March participants said the use of Section 144 to prevent a peaceful Women’s Day demonstration — and forcing released Aurat March participants Pakistan-wide to sign affidavits renouncing future protest as a condition of release — sets a dangerous precedent for civil society across the country.
For Pakistan’s International Reputation
The detention of released Aurat March participants — including internationally known figures like Tahira Abdullah and Dr Farzana Bari — on International Women’s Day drew immediate condemnation from human rights organisations worldwide. Foreign embassies in Islamabad expressed concern. The treatment of released Aurat March participants was covered internationally across South Asian and Western media.
For Press Freedom
Three journalists became released Aurat March participants after being briefly detained while covering Aurat March 2026. Rights groups condemned the arrests as a further restriction on press freedom in Pakistan — adding to concerns about the use of PECA and other laws against journalists.
For Pakistan’s Legal Framework
Released Aurat March participants and their legal teams announced formal court challenges to the use of Section 144 against Aurat March 2026 marchers. Legal experts noted that Section 144 — designed for genuine emergencies — is increasingly being used as a routine tool to prevent political and civil society demonstrations in Islamabad.
Conclusion
The released Aurat March participants who stood at the National Press Club on March 10, 2026, were not celebrating their freedom. They were demanding answers — for the baton charges, the hair pulling, the fake affidavits, the lawyers turned away, the family members arrested for showing up at a police station.
Aurat March 2026 was stopped before it began. But the press conference held by released Aurat March participants the morning after their release reached further than any march through Islamabad’s streets could have.
Released Aurat March participants Pakistan-wide have called for a formal independent investigation. The government has defended the arrests. The courts will be asked to determine whether Section 144 can lawfully prevent Pakistan’s most prominent women’s rights demonstration on International Women’s Day.
Whatever the legal outcome — the story of released Aurat March participants describing their treatment in custody has already been heard around the world.
