Pakistani police on Friday picked up several  Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) workers who had gathered close to the Arts Council roundabout to stage a rally in protest over incidents of alleged torture and detention in Gwadar, media reports said.

The BYC said in a statement that the police manhandled participants of the rally and detained around 50 workers, including women, when they tried to march on the Karachi Press Club, Dawn News reported.

BYC said the protest was aimed at highlighting the police highhandedness in Gwadar.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza said the protesters were not baton-charged.

“The district administration and local police had warned the organisers in advance not to violate the ban on holding any unlawful assembly in Red Zone,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

A police officer, who wished not to be named, told Dawn that over a dozen protesters were detained and taken to the Aram Bagh police station.