HRCP chairman Freed after brief police custody

HRCP alleged that Butt’s detention is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and silence human rights defenders

KARACHI:

Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Asad Iqbal Butt, has been released following investigation by the police.

An HRCP member, Abdul Hai, confirmed that Butt was brought to Gulberg Police Station for questioning but has now been allowed to return home.

Contrary to earlier reports, police authorities clarified that Butt was not arrested and was only briefly detained for the investigation.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Butt said that police detained him for three to four hours without any solid reason. "The police entered our house and asked me to come to police station," he said. He said that female police officials were also accompanied when area police arrived at his house.

The main question at the police station was about my visit to Quetta. "I haven't visited Quetta in last seven years," he said. He said the police wanted to know about HRCP's support to Baloch activists.

"They released me after the pressure mounted on the media," he confirmed his release. "It's illegal and against the human rights," he condemned the police action.

HRCP called for the immediate and unconditional release of its chairperson, alleging that Butt’s detention was a deliberate attempt to intimidate and silence human rights defenders.

The organisation denounced the action as an unjust measure aimed at suppressing the voices advocating for human rights.