Snatching a woman off the street, hauling her family and children away in an armored vehicle and refusing to tell lawyers where she is held is the conduct of a fascist state, not a democracy. Locking up a jailed politician's sister, sons and nephews is collective punishment, and children are not political opponents. The world needs to stop looking away from Pakistan.
Preventive detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance exists precisely for people police say helped shut down roads and incite workers to torch public property during the May 9, 2023, riots. Officials documented the case, listed the pending charges and set a fixed 30-day limit with a right to appeal. Keeping Lahore calm before a mass march is exactly the job of a government.
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