Police on Thursday detained Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairman Asad Iqbal Butt in a raid on his residence in Federal B Area, Karachi. Butt was warned by Karachi police to stay away from the issue of Baloch missing persons and was allegedly harassed about participating in the July 28 ‘Baloch National Gathering’ in Gwadar.
According to a BBC Urdu report, Butt said that police questioned him about Baloch missing persons and warned him to stay away from the issue. He stated that he told the police he could not distance himself from the matter.
Butt mentioned that he was asked if he had visited Quetta, to which he replied that he had not been able to go there for the past eight years. Following the interrogation, the police apologized and released him, stating it was a mistake.
HRCP member Prof. Dr. Tauseef Ahmed, quoted in a Dawn report, said that the Gulberg police, along with policewomen, arrived at Butt’s residence around 1:30 PM. “They detained the HRCP chief and brought him to the Gulberg police station, where he was asked if he was going to attend the Baloch gathering in Gwadar scheduled for July 28.”
As news of Mr. Butt’s detention spread, the HRCP demanded his immediate and unconditional release. The organization stated that he was “arbitrarily detained by the police” in Karachi. “HRCP believes that this measure is an intimidation tactic designed to stifle the voices of human rights defenders like Mr. Butt.”
Baloch political and social circles also condemned the actions of Karachi police, terming the arrest and warning to Butt as illegal and an attempt to silence voices on the Baloch missing persons issue.
Prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch said in a post on X, “I strongly condemn the illegal detention of Asad Iqbal Butt, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.” She explained that the Sindh police held him in custody for five hours and subjected him to various accusations and irrelevant questions.
“He was harassed about participating in the Baloch National Gathering, which is being held in Gwadar on July 28, and was told to stay away from cases related to the enforced disappearances of Baloch people,” she added.