At least 10 police officers, including two station house officers and seven female constables, were suspended following widespread outrage over their heavy-handed treatment of participants in the ‘Sindh Rawadari March’ in Karachi, a senior police official informed Dawn on Monday.
At the same time, approximately a dozen civil society activists and 58 members of a religious party were charged for violating Section 144 during Sunday’s protests.
On that day, one person was killed, and several others were injured as police attempted to disperse two separate protests — one organized by civil society activists against the killing of Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar, and the other, a counter-protest by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
Around 600 people, including 58 TLP leaders and supporters, have been charged under anti-terrorism laws and other sections for clashing with law enforcement officers and setting police vehicles on fire.
On Monday, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar met with Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon to discuss the police’s treatment of women and journalists outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and the misuse of power by officers, according to a police spokesperson.
The minister instructed the police chief to initiate an “impartial and transparent” inquiry, to be led by DIG West Irfan Ali Baloch, with a report due within three days.
DIG South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that a misconduct report concerning four DSPs had been submitted for disciplinary action. These officers had been assigned to maintain security during marches by both the Sindh Rawadari Committee and the TLP’s Namoos-i-Risalat March.
Two of the DSPs were accused of failing to manage the crowd at the KPC, while the other two were found negligent in controlling the TLP rally, which escalated into a major security threat in the Red Zone as protesters moved towards Sharea Faisal.
On Monday, the Artillery Maidan police filed an FIR against 100 individuals, including 12 civil society activists, for violating Section 144. Another FIR was registered against 600 TLP marchers for allegedly firing on police and Rangers near Metropole Hotel, leading to the death of Mohammad Majid. Several policemen were injured, one police vehicle was set on fire, and another was damaged.
Civil Society Outrage
In separate press conferences, civil society groups condemned the police brutality, criticizing the suspension of only low-ranking officers and calling for a judicial inquiry into the violence against unarmed, peaceful protesters, including women, intellectuals, poets, and journalists.
Shazia Nizamani from the Sindh Women Lawyers Alliance announced plans to file a petition in the Sindh High Court over the violation of fundamental rights and police misconduct.
Jami Chandio, an intellectual whose daughter was among the women mistreated by the police, noted the contradiction between the Sindh Chief Minister’s apology and the ongoing cases against civil society activists, including singer Saif Samejo. He questioned why the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had not acted against lawmakers who praised the policemen responsible for Dr. Kunbhar’s custodial death.
Fahmida Riaz, a prominent activist, expressed disappointment in the PPP, long considered a liberal and progressive party, stating that Sunday’s events had been a wake-up call.
Qazi Khizar from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the enforcement of Section 144, stating that the brutal actions revealed the true face of the state. He doubted whether a police-led investigation could be impartial and demanded a judicial inquiry into Dr. Kunbhar’s killing.
HRCP Reaction in Lahore
In Lahore, HRCP activists similarly decried the police’s excessive force during the Rawadari March, whose goal was to foster dialogue and counter rising hate in society. Former HRCP chairperson Hina Jilani, along with other leaders, criticized the imposition of Section 144 at the last moment, noting that march organizers had sought and received permission to hold the rally outside the press club weeks in advance.
HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt added that although those arrested were released soon after, the march united progressive voices across Sindh and should have been supported by any government committed to democratic principles.
Jilani emphasized that the right to peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Constitution but consistently undermined by the state.
