Activists Arrested in Lahore for Pro-Kashmir Demonstration, Later Released

In Lahore, Pakistan, activists from the Haqooq-i-Khalq Party were arrested on Friday while participating in a peaceful demonstration outside the press club. The protest aimed to show solidarity with the Joint Action Committee of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), which has been advocating for democratic rights and economic justice.

Among those detained was activist Farooq Tariq, who was reportedly dragged, harassed, and forcibly taken away in a police van. Dozens of other protesters, including Muzammil Kakar and Hussain Jameel Faridi, were also arrested. The Haqooq-e-Khalq Party expressed deep concern over the arrests, stating there was no information about the whereabouts of the detainees and demanding their immediate release.

“

We are rescheduling today’s protest. We will organise it again. Please do not go to Shimla Hill (press club) now. Next time we will come with permission.

The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) strongly condemned the arrests, calling the incommunicado detention unacceptable and a violation of constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and political dissent. Police dispersed the gathering, forcibly removing protesters and placing them into police vans. Other arrested individuals included members of the Khalq Youth Front and Progressive Students Collective.

Later, Farooq Tariq posted on social media that the protest was being rescheduled and urged others not to go to the original location. The demonstration was in support of the AJK committee's demands, which include the abolition of 12 assembly seats for Kashmiris living in various cities of Pakistan. The AJK committee claims that 30 protesters have been killed by armed forces since the July 27 polling day.

“

The incommunicado detention is unacceptable and it violates the constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and political dissent.