Islamabad’s district administration raided a local gallery and forcibly stopped the screening of a film highlighting the issue of enforced disappearances, saying that the event is ‘anti-Pakistan’.
Chairperson Defence of Human Rights Amna Masood Janjua said that her organisation was going to hold screening of a film and launch of a book on enforced disappearance at the Aqs Nirvana Art Gallery in Islamabad on Wednesday, but after reaching the venue they found that the gallery was sealed and a vehicle of security forces was present at the entrance.
The book consists of stories of families affected by enforced disappearances and the movie titled ‘Laut ke aanay ki aas’ was about the same issue. Several people from across the country were invited to the screening, but the district administration did not let the organisers hold the event and sealed the gallery.
Amna Masood Janjua said that when she met the owner and manager of the gallery, they appeared scared and told her that the assistant commissioner came to the gallery with police in the morning and sealed the gallery. The authorities reportedly told the management of the gallery that it was being sealed because an ‘anti-Pakistan’ event was going to take place on its premises.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat told Friday Times that the event was not stopped by the district administration.
