Daily Times

Activists took to Twitter on Sunday to highlight a protest staged outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against the detention of a known human rights activist and associate professor of the Karachi University, Dr Riaz Ahmed, over what they believed that the mainstream national media “shied away” from covering the protest.

“Protest going on at Khi Press Club for release of Dr Riaz of Karachi University detained by Rangers under false charges. Complete Media blackout, tweeted M Jibran Nasir under #FreeDrRiaz. Another chimed in, “Karachi and Lahore protests to #FreeDrRiaz. Arrest Terrorists, not Teachers!”

“His only crime is that he believes in civil liberties and fight for it,” tweeted Shumaila Khan, a journalist working for BBC Urdu.

Dr Riaz Ahmed and Dr Mehar Afroze Murad, a retired professor of KU’s Islamic History department, were reportedly arrested by law enforcers just before their scheduled press conference on Saturday.

Following their arrest, speaking at a press conference at the KPC, Dr Naveen Haider of the KU said their purpose was to demand proper treatment for ailing Dr Hassan Zafar Arif.

Dr Arif – who had allegedly joined the MQM-London – was earlier booked by law enforcers for allegedly facilitating ‘incendiary and hateful’ speeches of his party chief, Altaf Hussain, in July last year.

Meanwhile, the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) has also demanded immediate release of the KU faculty members.