On 5 May 2026, several Aurat March Karachi organisers and activists were briefly detained outside the Karachi Press Club, where they had gathered to hold a press conference. The press conference was intended to raise concerns over the delay or denial of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the upcoming Aurat March planned in Karachi. Among those detained were well-known artist and human rights activist Sheema Kermani and transgender rights activist Shahzadi Rai. Reports stated that the activists were released later the same day after intervention by Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar.
The incident triggered strong criticism from civil society, rights groups, journalists, and citizens, particularly because the activists were reportedly not holding a protest at that moment but attempting to enter the Press Club for a media briefing. The event was seen as an example of shrinking civic space and increasing restrictions on peaceful assembly, public expression, and women’s participation in democratic spaces. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the detention and described it as part of a broader pattern of denial of public space to citizens asserting their rights.
The background of the incident is linked to the wider controversy surrounding Aurat March, a feminist and rights-based movement that has been held in Pakistan since 2018 to highlight issues such as gender-based violence, harassment, unpaid care work, economic justice, bodily autonomy, transgender rights, and women’s access to public spaces. Over the years, the march has faced backlash, misinformation campaigns, administrative hurdles, and security concerns.
In Karachi, the planned Aurat March was also being linked with 10 May 2026, Mother’s Day, using the occasion to highlight women’s dignity, care work, rights, safety, and recognition in public and private life. The incident therefore became significant because it raised serious questions about whether women, transgender persons, and rights defenders can freely organise, speak to the media, and claim public space without fear of intimidation or police action.