A Pakistani security agency said on Friday it had arrested the father of a prominent political activist for spreading hate of the state on social media.
Muhammad Ismail was detained on Thursday after leaving a court in the northwestern city of Peshawar. A US official had earlier raised concern about harassment of Gulalai Ismail's family and the protection of rights.
The daughter, 32, is a prominent member of a group campaigning for the rights of the ethnic Pashtun minority, and is a vocal critic of Pakistan's military. Gulalai Ismail went into hiding earlier this year and emerged in the United States in September.
"The complaint is regarding ... hate speech and fake information against government institutions on Facebook and Twitter," the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said in a report.
Senior FIA official Mirwais Niaz said Muhammad Ismail had been brought before a court and remanded in custody for 14 days on Friday.
Gulalai Ismail was not immediately available for comment.
Her group, the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), has clashed with the military, which has accused it of disloyalty and being funded by Pakistan's regional rivals.
Earlier, before the authorities announced her father's arrest, Gulalai Ismail said she was worried about his fate after he had been picked up by unidentified men on Thursday.
"He was abducted by men wearing militia black dress, he was forced into a black-tinted vehicle," Ismail told Reuters in a text message. "We are very worried for our mother now and afraid that ... she will be arrested too," she said.
'HARASSMENT'
The US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs acting assistant secretary, Alice Wells, had earlier expressed her concern about the family.
"We are concerned by reports of the continued harassment of Gulalai Ismail's family, and her father's detention," Wells said on Twitter.
"We encourage Pakistan to uphold citizens' rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and due process."
The PTM has gained considerable support to the alarm of the military, which is wary of Pashtun nationalism in the strategically sensitive Pashtun lands along the Afghan border.
Pashtuns live on both sides of the border.
The Afghan Taliban are also predominately Pashtun, and have for years operated along the border, but the Islamists have been used by the Pakistani military in pursuit of its objectives in Afghanistan.
The US-backed Afghan government has expressed solidarity with the Pashtun nationalist movement.
The Pakistani military has accused the group of working against Pakistan's interest and getting funds from Afghanistan and old rival India. The group denies being opposed to the Pakistani state, saying it is only against terrorism.
The PTM, which has two seats in parliament, has accused of authorities of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Rights groups have called on Pakistan to investigate the disappearance and killing of PTM activists.
English questioning rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent, and racist jokes from 36 per cent to 41 per cent
Workplace violence against Black and ethnic minority employees rises to 26 per cent
Highlights
The Trades Union Congress surveyed 1,044 Black, Asian and ethnic minority employees. The results show clear increases in racist behaviour between 2020 and 2026.
Workers having their English questioned rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent. Those hearing racist jokes went up from 36 per cent to 41 per cent.
Racist comments made to workers or around them increased from 31 per cent to 36 per cent.
Violence and threats
The most worrying finding involves physical threats and violence, which jumped from 19 per cent to 26 per cent.
Racist posts shared on workplace social media grew from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Racist materials being passed around increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.
Beyond direct racism, many workers face unfair treatment. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they get harder or less popular jobs.
Over two in five (43 per cent) receive unfair criticism. The same number (41 per cent) stay stuck on temporary contracts.
Work conditions got worse too. Those not getting enough hours rose from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Workers denied overtime went from 30 per cent to 37 per cent. Being kept on short-term contracts increased from 33 per cent to 41 per cent.
Direct managers cause most unfair treatment (35 per cent), followed by other managers (19 per cent).
Bullying mainly comes from direct managers (30 per cent) and colleagues (28 per cent). Racist behaviour mostly comes from colleagues (33 per cent) and customers or clients (22 per cent).
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and ethnic minority workers are facing appalling and growing levels of racism and unfair treatment in Britain. This racism is plaguing the labour market – and it's getting worse."
The TUC is calling for urgent government action to tackle the problem. The union wants ring-fenced funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce workplace protections.
It is pushing for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees.
The TUC says the Employment Rights Act, which makes employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment by customers and clients, will be an important step forward.
The union also wants employers to treat racial harassment as a health and safety issue and monitor ethnicity data across recruitment, pay and promotions.