Protesters demand formation of judicial commission to probe Sabeen Mahmud murder

Protests will take place at Karachi and Lahore press clubs at 5pm and at Islamabad press club at 5:30pm

Protests have been organised in major cities of the country, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, to demand justice for the killing of prominent rights activist Sabeen Mahmud and to ‘unsilence Balochistan.’

Participating in a protest expressing solidarity with Sabeen at the Karachi Press Club, Baloch rights activist Mama Qadeer said he has been receiving death threats since Sabeen’s death.

“I’m being told that you will suffer from the same fate as Sabeen if you don’t mend your ways,” he said.

However, Mama Qadeer said they will continue their struggle. “Sabeen is a martyr and she has been named Shaheed-e-Balochistan.”

Protest in Karachi. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Meanwhile, holding a meeting at Karachi Press Club, friends of Sabeen said they are going to organise a demonstration at the press club on April 30 at at 4pm. They further demanded a judicial commission be formed to probe into her murder.

Further, they have decided to hold candlelight vigils and protests everyday at Teen Talwar from 8pm to 9pm.

Gunmen on a motorcycle attacked activist Sabeen Mahmud on April 24 in Karachi, as she was leaving her cafe, The Second Floor (T2F), where she held art exhibitions and talks.

Read: Investigators draw blank in Sabeen Mahmud murder case

She had just hosted a discussion on disappearances in Balochistan where the Pakistan Army is fighting insurgents.  The session was similar to the one that had been cancelled by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) a few weeks ago.

Gathering momentum on social media, Facebook event pages were created for the protests to be held at Karachi Press Club and Lahore Press Club at 5pm and at the Islamabad Press Club at 5:30pm.

Read: T2F director Sabeen Mahmud shot dead

The Karachi page stated: "Friends of Sabeen invite you to meet at Committee Room Karachi Press Club on Tuesday April 28 at 5pm to discuss organising a big protest demonstration to condemn brutal murder of Sabeen Mahmud."

The protest in Lahore is being organised by the leftist Awami Workers Party.

“Awami Workers Party strongly condemns the horrific murder of T2F director Sabeen Mahmud when she was on her way back home following a talk titled Unsilencing Balochistan on Friday,” the Facebook event read.

Read: TTP deny involvement in Sabeen Mahmud’s murder

The protest in Lahore will also condemn the controversial Cyber Crime Act which the National Assembly Standing Committee recently passed.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

While, the Islamabad protest’s Facebook event read: “Some of her friends and supporters in Islamabad feel there is a need to take some form of action to make sure that Sabeen's assassination -- and the central issue of freedom of expression about human rights in Balochistan -- doesn't just pass by quietly. We would like to bring together as many people as possible in Islamabad under a citizens' umbrella to highlight this important issue.”

The page added, the organisers seek to hold public discussions in Islamabad about the Balochistan conflict.