A famed Pakistani activist on Wednesday voiced fear for the life of her father, claiming the authorities are seeking revenge after she managed to flee from the country.&nbsp;

Gulalai Ismail, who won global praise for her campaigns for girls, said her father who recently battled coronavirus was denied bail on fraudulent charges.&nbsp;

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"I managed to escape Pakistan and I think it has hurt the ego of the people who run the system very badly. Now they are taking revenge," Ismail told news agency AFP from New York.&nbsp;

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She added that her parents were kept as "hostages" to "pressurise and blackmail" her as after her arrival into the US, she has been vocal on human rights issues.&nbsp;

The activist said during her father's previous jail stint he was forced to sleep on the floor on a cell that was occupied by some 60 people, including drug addicts.&nbsp;

"His life is at risk and I am very afraid as a daughter that he will not survive this detention," Gulalai said.&nbsp;

She said that her father Mohammed Ismail, 65, is a retired professor and has been involved in activism.&nbsp;

He also faces kidney, heart, and back problems and had only just recovered by Covid-19 after a month of treatment.&nbsp;

Gulalai said her mother, who was also suffering from coronavirus, was granted bail, but her father was denied of it in a hearing on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The activist's parents face terrorism charges on grounds that they sent support including weapons to perpetrators of a suicide attack on a church in Peshawar in 2013 that killed 82 people and an assault on a Shiite mosque in 2015.&nbsp; 
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A famed Pakistani activist on Wednesday voiced fear for the life of her father, claiming the authorities are seeking revenge after she managed to flee from the country.

A famed Pakistani activist on Wednesday voiced fear for the life of her father, claiming the authorities are seeking revenge after she managed to flee from the country. Gulalai Ismail, who won global praise for her campaigns for girls, said her father who recently battled coronavirus was denied bail on fraudulent charges. Watch | "I managed to escape Pakistan and I think it has hurt the ego of the people who run the system very badly. Now they are taking revenge," Ismail told news agency AFP from New York. Also read | 36 US lawmakers ask Pak for review of acquittal in Daniel Pearl's murder case She added that her parents were kept as "hostages" to "pressurise and blackmail" her as after her arrival into the US, she has been vocal on human rights issues. The activist said during her father's previous jail stint he was forced to sleep on the floor on a cell that was occupied by some 60 people, including drug addicts. "His life is at risk and I am very afraid as a daughter that he will not survive this detention," Gulalai said. She said that her father Mohammed Ismail, 65, is a retired professor and has been involved in activism. He also faces kidney, heart, and back problems and had only just recovered by Covid-19 after a month of treatment. Gulalai said her mother, who was also suffering from coronavirus, was granted bail, but her father was denied of it in a hearing on Tuesday. The activist's parents face terrorism charges on grounds that they sent support including weapons to perpetrators of a suicide attack on a church in Peshawar in 2013 that killed 82 people and an assault on a Shiite mosque in 2015.

Renowned Pakistan activist fears death of her father

Washington has said it was "concerned" &nbsp;by reports that the father of a Pakistani activist who fled the country has himself been detained, the latest incident to fuel fears of a clampdown on dissent.

Alice Wells, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, tweeted her concern late Thursday over "reports of the continued harassment of Gulalai Ismail's family, and her father's detention today".

She said the US called on Pakistan to "uphold citizens' rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and due process".

Wells tweeted after Ismail, a women's rights activist who fled to the US and is seeking asylum, said her father Mohammad Ismail had been taken away by unknown men earlier Thursday outside a court in Peshawar, a western city near the border with Afghanistan.

Rabia Mehmood, a Pakistan researcher for Amnesty International, tweeted that he was in the custody of the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

On Friday, Ismail tweeted a copy of what she said was the initial investigation report showing that her father had been accused of "hate speech and false information against Government institutions of Pakistan" on social media.

FIA officials had no immediate comment. A senior Pakistani security source who spoke to AFP over WhatsApp said: "We (have) nothing to do with this."

Gulalai Ismail is an international award-winning activist who has championed the rights of Pakistani girls in a deeply patriarchal country.

Then she began speaking out against sexual violence and disappearances allegedly carried out by the army in northwestern Pakistan -- a red line for the powerful security establishment which has run the country for much of its history.

Fearing for her life, she went on the run for four months before turning up in the US in September.

She told AFP during an interview in Washington last month that she fears for her parents, saying they have become socially isolated, with security forces interrogating anyone who so much as texts them.

Mehmood tweeted that the couple had "continuously been harassed by the law enforcement agencies" through late-night raids, surveillance and false cases.

A witness told Ismail her father "was dragged into the vehicle while being physically tortured &amp; abused", she tweeted.

"I knew they wouldn't spare me... but I hadn't imagined them persecuting my elderly parents," she added later.

Rights watchdogs have long warned of a shrinking space for dissent in Pakistan, one of the most dangerous places in the world for activists and journalists.

They can face abductions, torture, even killings if they cross red lines that a journalism watchdog last year said had been "quietly, but effectively" set by the army.

That can include social media and online posts.

In 2016 a controversial law was passed that prohibits posts that are deemed to compromise state security or offend anything from "the glory of Islam" to non-defined notions of "decency and morality".

Activists have warned previously that it could be abused as a tool of repression.

Washington has said it was "concerned" by reports that the father of a Pakistani activist who fled the country has himself been detained, the latest incident to fuel fears of a clampdown on dissent.

Washington has said it was "concerned" by reports that the father of a Pakistani activist who fled the country has himself been detained, the latest incident to fuel fears of a clampdown on dissent. Alice Wells, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, tweeted her concern late Thursday over "reports of the continued harassment of Gulalai Ismail's family, and her father's detention today". She said the US called on Pakistan to "uphold citizens' rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and due process". Wells tweeted after Ismail, a women's rights activist who fled to the US and is seeking asylum, said her father Mohammad Ismail had been taken away by unknown men earlier Thursday outside a court in Peshawar, a western city near the border with Afghanistan. Rabia Mehmood, a Pakistan researcher for Amnesty International, tweeted that he was in the custody of the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). On Friday, Ismail tweeted a copy of what she said was the initial investigation report showing that her father had been accused of "hate speech and false information against Government institutions of Pakistan" on social media. FIA officials had no immediate comment. A senior Pakistani security source who spoke to AFP over WhatsApp said: "We (have) nothing to do with this." Gulalai Ismail is an international award-winning activist who has championed the rights of Pakistani girls in a deeply patriarchal country. Then she began speaking out against sexual violence and disappearances allegedly carried out by the army in northwestern Pakistan -- a red line for the powerful security establishment which has run the country for much of its history. Fearing for her life, she went on the run for four months before turning up in the US in September. She told AFP during an interview in Washington last month that she fears for her parents, saying they have become socially isolated, with security forces interrogating anyone who so much as texts them. Mehmood tweeted that the couple had "continuously been harassed by the law enforcement agencies" through late-night raids, surveillance and false cases. A witness told Ismail her father "was dragged into the vehicle while being physically tortured & abused", she tweeted. "I knew they wouldn't spare me... but I hadn't imagined them persecuting my elderly parents," she added later. Rights watchdogs have long warned of a shrinking space for dissent in Pakistan, one of the most dangerous places in the world for activists and journalists. They can face abductions, torture, even killings if they cross red lines that a journalism watchdog last year said had been "quietly, but effectively" set by the army. That can include social media and online posts. In 2016 a controversial law was passed that prohibits posts that are deemed to compromise state security or offend anything from "the glory of Islam" to non-defined notions of "decency and morality". Activists have warned previously that it could be abused as a tool of repression.

US 'concerned' as Pakistan activist says father detained

Pakistani women rights activist Gulalai Ismail, who is currently in the United States on Thursday said that her father was picked up by "men wearing militia dress" in Peshwar. 
 
"My father has been picked up by men wearing Militia dress from outside of Peshawar High Court an hour ago," Ismail tweeted.

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My father has been picked up by men wearing Malitia dress from outside of Peshawar High Court an hour ago.
— Gulalai_Ismail (@Gulalai_Ismail) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gulalai_Ismail/status/1187329908403507200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Ismail managed to escape Pakistan to seek political asylum in the United States in September after being accused of treason. She reached the US months after she was arrested and released for holding a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club in Islamabad. 
 
During a chat with the media in New York last month, Ismail had voiced her concerns about her parents' safety in Islamabad. "I am still worried about my parents back home and the underground network that secretly protected me when I escaped," Gulalai said. 
 
She has now become the new face of hope for the oppressed minorities in Pakistani, raising voice against Islamabad's atrocities on the roads of New York. 
 
Last month, Ismail was seen on the streets of the city, highlighted the plight and miseries that minorities are facing for decades and demanded that the Pakistani Army end human rights violations. "There's a dictatorship in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the Pakistani military establishment," Ismail had said. 
 
According to a report in Dawn, a non-bailable warrant was issued against her by a Pakistani court in a case pertaining to maligning national institutions. Ismail had deemed the non-bailable arrest warrant as an act of appeasement before the country's intelligence agency ISI. 
 
The order issued states that the court would initiate the process to declare her a "proclaimed offender" if the "suspect" does not appear before the court on October 21, the report had said.

Pakistani women rights activist Gulalai Ismail, who is currently in the United States on Thursday said that her father was picked up by "men wearing militia dress" in Peshwar.

Pakistani women rights activist Gulalai Ismail, who is currently in the United States on Thursday said that her father was picked up by "men wearing militia dress" in Peshwar. "My father has been picked up by men wearing Militia dress from outside of Peshawar High Court an hour ago," Ismail tweeted. My father has been picked up by men wearing Malitia dress from outside of Peshawar High Court an hour ago. — Gulalai_Ismail (@Gulalai_Ismail) October 24, 2019 × Ismail managed to escape Pakistan to seek political asylum in the United States in September after being accused of treason. She reached the US months after she was arrested and released for holding a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club in Islamabad. During a chat with the media in New York last month, Ismail had voiced her concerns about her parents' safety in Islamabad. "I am still worried about my parents back home and the underground network that secretly protected me when I escaped," Gulalai said. She has now become the new face of hope for the oppressed minorities in Pakistani, raising voice against Islamabad's atrocities on the roads of New York. Last month, Ismail was seen on the streets of the city, highlighted the plight and miseries that minorities are facing for decades and demanded that the Pakistani Army end human rights violations. "There's a dictatorship in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the Pakistani military establishment," Ismail had said. According to a report in Dawn, a non-bailable warrant was issued against her by a Pakistani court in a case pertaining to maligning national institutions. Ismail had deemed the non-bailable arrest warrant as an act of appeasement before the country's intelligence agency ISI. The order issued states that the court would initiate the process to declare her a "proclaimed offender" if the "suspect" does not appear before the court on October 21, the report had said.

'Father picked up by men in militia dress', Pakistani rights activist Gulalai Ismail

Gulalai Ismail's campaigns to empower Pakistani girls have won her international awards and recognition as one of her country's foremost activists.

But when she spoke out against sexual violence and disappearances allegedly carried out by the army in northwestern Pakistan, her fortunes quickly changed.

The 32-year-old said she feared for her life. After four months on the run, she succeeded in eluding a vast hunt and has turned up in the United States, where she is seeking asylum.

Ismail said she never sought to become an overseas dissident but sees a closing of the political space in Pakistan, where the army has remained the dominant power-broker for most of the country's history.

"I never wanted to leave Pakistan," she told AFP in an interview in Washington. "I believe that I can better work towards democracy and civil supremacy and peace in Pakistan."

But she concluded she would be more effective abroad, saying: "If I had ended up in prison and tortured for many years, my voice would have been silenced."

Ismail, who speaks with poise and passion though she remains afraid, believed she posed a special threat as a vocal woman.

"When a man stands up, he is mostly against the state oppression," she said. "But when a woman stands up, she is fighting oppression on many levels -- fighting cultural norms, fighting the patriarchy and the state oppression."

Taking up an unpopular cause

Ismail was still a teenager when she co-founded Aware Girls in 2002, which promotes gender equality in the deeply conservative northwestern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2017, she won the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya Award for human rights advocacy. The year before, she was honoured for conflict prevention by France's Chirac Foundation and has been welcomed by former first lady Michelle Obama.

But she came under greater scrutiny last year when she started speaking in support of the Pashtun Protection Movement, which defends the rights of the Pashtun tribal population in the northwest.

Quoting witnesses, Ismail said the army crackdown on Pashtun militants near the border with Afghanistan had led to frequent disappearances as well as sexual assaults.

Most women stay silent due to stigma, she said, but when a boy came forward about how security forces were barging into their home and harassing his mother, she went to investigate.

"Dozens of women had come to tell us that the incident of sexual harassment was not unique. It is systematic. It had been happening for years."

Eluding intense search

Ismail was detained briefly in 2018 but her fears mounted in February when she was taken into custody for two days after attempting to hold a news conference.

She said that she was held in a cold, dirty room with a urine-soaked sheet on the ground. She said she was denied food and water, with other female inmates warned against talking to the "high-profile terrorist."

In May, police filed a complaint against Ismail under an anti-terrorism law after she spoke out about the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl.&nbsp;

Ismail declined to discuss how she escaped Pakistan, saying she did not want to put others at risk.

Authorities widely circulated her name to seek her arrest, with airport authorities told not to let her leave.

"There were videos created online by military trolls which were clearly saying that the moment I'm in custody they will teach me a lesson. I spoke about the issue of rape -- now they will 'teach me' what rape is," she said.

She said security forces roughed up both her driver and a friend who she said was handcuffed, beaten and administered electric shocks for 14 hours in a bid to extract information on her whereabouts.

Ismail is living for now with her sister in New York. She said her initial fears of being sent back to Pakistan, a historic ally of the United States, were eased after she held meetings in Washington at the State Department and with staff of lawmakers including Chuck Schumer, who represents New York and is the top Democrat in the Senate.

"I was told that there was no chance that the US will ever take such action as extraditing me or handing me over because they know that it is a case of political revenge," she said.

But she remains worried for her parents in Pakistan. She said that they have become socially isolated, with security forces interrogating anyone who does so much as text them.

"I wanted to speak freely and that's why I'm here," she said.

"However, when it comes to the future of Pakistan, I do not see a prosperous Pakistan until the military establishment decides it needs to go back to its barracks."

Gulalai Ismail's campaigns to empower Pakistani girls have won her international awards and recognition as one of her country's foremost activists. But when she spoke out against sexual violence and disappearances allegedly carried out by the army in northwestern Pakistan, her fortunes quickly changed.

Gulalai Ismail's campaigns to empower Pakistani girls have won her international awards and recognition as one of her country's foremost activists. But when she spoke out against sexual violence and disappearances allegedly carried out by the army in northwestern Pakistan, her fortunes quickly changed. The 32-year-old said she feared for her life. After four months on the run, she succeeded in eluding a vast hunt and has turned up in the United States, where she is seeking asylum. Ismail said she never sought to become an overseas dissident but sees a closing of the political space in Pakistan, where the army has remained the dominant power-broker for most of the country's history. "I never wanted to leave Pakistan," she told AFP in an interview in Washington. "I believe that I can better work towards democracy and civil supremacy and peace in Pakistan." But she concluded she would be more effective abroad, saying: "If I had ended up in prison and tortured for many years, my voice would have been silenced." Ismail, who speaks with poise and passion though she remains afraid, believed she posed a special threat as a vocal woman. "When a man stands up, he is mostly against the state oppression," she said. "But when a woman stands up, she is fighting oppression on many levels -- fighting cultural norms, fighting the patriarchy and the state oppression." Taking up an unpopular cause Ismail was still a teenager when she co-founded Aware Girls in 2002, which promotes gender equality in the deeply conservative northwestern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2017, she won the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya Award for human rights advocacy. The year before, she was honoured for conflict prevention by France's Chirac Foundation and has been welcomed by former first lady Michelle Obama. But she came under greater scrutiny last year when she started speaking in support of the Pashtun Protection Movement, which defends the rights of the Pashtun tribal population in the northwest. Quoting witnesses, Ismail said the army crackdown on Pashtun militants near the border with Afghanistan had led to frequent disappearances as well as sexual assaults. Most women stay silent due to stigma, she said, but when a boy came forward about how security forces were barging into their home and harassing his mother, she went to investigate. "Dozens of women had come to tell us that the incident of sexual harassment was not unique. It is systematic. It had been happening for years." Eluding intense search Ismail was detained briefly in 2018 but her fears mounted in February when she was taken into custody for two days after attempting to hold a news conference. She said that she was held in a cold, dirty room with a urine-soaked sheet on the ground. She said she was denied food and water, with other female inmates warned against talking to the "high-profile terrorist." In May, police filed a complaint against Ismail under an anti-terrorism law after she spoke out about the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl. Ismail declined to discuss how she escaped Pakistan, saying she did not want to put others at risk. Authorities widely circulated her name to seek her arrest, with airport authorities told not to let her leave. "There were videos created online by military trolls which were clearly saying that the moment I'm in custody they will teach me a lesson. I spoke about the issue of rape -- now they will 'teach me' what rape is," she said. She said security forces roughed up both her driver and a friend who she said was handcuffed, beaten and administered electric shocks for 14 hours in a bid to extract information on her whereabouts. Ismail is living for now with her sister in New York. She said her initial fears of being sent back to Pakistan, a historic ally of the United States, were eased after she held meetings in Washington at the State Department and with staff of lawmakers including Chuck Schumer, who represents New York and is the top Democrat in the Senate. "I was told that there was no chance that the US will ever take such action as extraditing me or handing me over because they know that it is a case of political revenge," she said. But she remains worried for her parents in Pakistan. She said that they have become socially isolated, with security forces interrogating anyone who does so much as text them. "I wanted to speak freely and that's why I'm here," she said. "However, when it comes to the future of Pakistan, I do not see a prosperous Pakistan until the military establishment decides it needs to go back to its barracks."

Pakistan women’s rights activist who highlighted atrocities by military escapes to US

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Renowned Pakistan activist fears death of her father

US 'concerned' as Pakistan activist says father detained

'Father picked up by men in militia dress', Pakistani rights activist Gulalai Ismail

Pakistan women’s rights activist who highlighted atrocities by military escapes to US