ISLAMABAD: Aurat March organisers, civil society members, and rights groups accused the authorities on Monday of manhandling and threatening women’s rights activists who had been detained the previous day in Islamabad.

The assertions were made at a press conference after police released all 44 activists detained ahead of an International Women’s Day rally on Sunday.

Police cited the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the district administration not issuing a no-objection certificate (NoC) to the Aurat March for the rally as reasons for the arrests.

After the activists were released, they held a press conference at the National Press Club, demanding an investigation into the incident.

Aurat March’s Dr Farzana Bari said the organisers of the rally were aware that Section 144 was imposed in the federal capital, but “civil society does not accept any law that is in violation of basic rights”.

“You cannot take our right to protest. Similar protests were held across the globe, but we were stopped and told that there was a threat of a suicide bomber blowing themselves up,” she claimed.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Secretary General Harris Khalique said: “We don’t believe in violating laws, but with laws such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in place, society cannot function”.

“Yesterday, females were manhandled and beaten,” he alleged, adding that they were detained and taken to Women Police Station.

“When their relatives and friends reached there, they were also locked up. Baton-charge was used against them, they were pulled from their hair, and they were forced to sign on fake affidavits,” he alleged.

Khalique said the HRCP demanded an investigation into the incident and departmental action against those found guilty of the accusations made by him.

PPP Human Rights Cell Information Secretary Tariq Mahmood Ghouri, who is also a part of the Aurat March, claimed while talking to Dawn that the relatives of the detained activists, who went to the police stations, were also detained.

“They were forced to sign an affidavit that said that they (activists) would not participate in such activities in the future. They had to sign it to get their daughters released,” he alleged.

It was also alleged during the press conference that even lawyers were not allowed to meet the detained activists and that male personnel body-searched female detainees.