On a hot afternoon, a classical dancer and activist, Sheema Kirmani, along with Aurat March organizers were arrested in Karachi over an argument that sprang from the No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sheema and her fellow organisers seek an NOC to organise the Aurat March on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026. Sheema requested the police officers to consider her age and not get physical; however, videos of the brutal arrest went viral. Murtaza Ali Shah posted:
As the video went viral, reactions poured in, with celebrities and activists criticising the arrest of the elderly artist. On Instagram, actress Sania Saeed stated that no warrants were shown and no explanation was given to the arrestees. She further added that she stands by Sheema and posted:
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Mishi Khan also took to Instagram and said that it is disgraceful that a woman is dragged only for hosting a press conference. She posted:
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Activist Asad Ali Toor took to X and called the arrest an act of brutal dictatorship. Condemning the arrest, he posted:
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Have they lost their mind? Are we living under brutal dictatorship? Why this insanity? Strongly condemn arrest of @AuratMarchKHI members. https://t.co/S1oHDXuXLA— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) May 5, 2026
Singer, Shae Gill, called the arrest infuriating and posted:
Calling it shameful, actress Mahira Khan posted:
Actress Ayesha Omar called it horrific and disgraceful and posted:
Fashion designer, Ali Xeeshan, stated that the nation has failed Sheema and posted:
Producer and director, Sarmad Khoosat, said:
Despite the arrest, the Aurat March organisers have stated that the act to suppress will not work on them and posted:
We will NOT back down from our politics, and we will continue to demand an NOC! Scare tactics to suppress dissent are shameful! We demand that the Sindh Govt issue a statement as to the reason for these arrests and explain why our NOC is being delayed—if not as tactics to scare!
— Aurat March – عورت مارچ (@AuratMarchKHI) May 5, 2026
