Sheema Kermani, Aurat March, Baloch Voices and the Shrinking Democratic Space in Pakistan's Sindh |
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When police officers were filmed dragging 75-year-old classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani from outside the Karachi Press Club earlier this month, the incident quickly became more than a controversy over the Aurat March alone. For critics of Pakistan’s ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh, the episode highlighted the growing use of state control, policing and political red lines to curb feminist, Sindhi and Baloch voices, that too in a province projected as the country’s most liberal political space.
“You [referring to the police officers] cannot drag me like this … I am 75 years old,” Kermani says in a viral video, as officers appear to pull her by the arms. Footage circulating widely on social media shows her surrounded by police officers, with some of them dragging and mistreating her.
Kermani was not alone. Others were also reportedly detained by the police.
A renowned classical dancer, cultural activist, and founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan, Kermani has long been a prominent voice against injustice in Pakistan. Over the decades, she has spoken out against authoritarianism and continued to advocate for human rights in the country.
News of the incident on May 5 sparked public anger when Kermani was mistreated. Organisers of the Aurat March, a women’s rights group that always leads the March 8 movement for women’s rights, were also detained while preparing to hold a press conference at the Karachi Press Club to demand a non-objection certificate (NOC) for the Aurat March on May 10.
Despite repeated requests for the NOC, the organisers did not receive a positive response from the Sindh government. As a result, they decided to hold a press conference instead. However, the Sindh police mistreated them and barred them from holding it.
The organisers came under fire and were effectively caught between institutional delays and administrative resistance. In response, the Sindh government denied any direct involvement in the mistreatment and claimed they were unaware of the incident.
When The Wire spoke to Kermani about mistreatment by the police, she said in a courageous voice, “It is not about me [Sheema Kermani]; it is about every woman who suffers. It was neither the first time, nor will it be the last.”
NOC came........