Update @ 1600: Chairperson of Pak Human Rights Commission – under house arrest

A few minutes ago, Al Jazeera TV broadcasted a roundup of happenings in the blogosphere which have been picked up via Global Voices, including reactions by Pakistani bloggers while airing Dr. Awab’s warning to bloggers in Pakistan urging them to play it safe while blogging considering that martial law is in effect.

In a telephone call to ARYOne from Pakistan, the chairwoman of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission confirmed that she has been placed under house arrest while about 70 people including lawyers, journalists, media personnel, students and activists have been arrested in Lahore.

Among the many group that have gathered to plan on a course of action, via a SMS from Dr. Awab, over 50 people have turned up at a undisclosed location in Karachi to engage in a dialogue and discuss the events unfolding in the country.

The Secretary General of the South Asian Free Media, Imtiaz Alam, has been arested and the convener of India Pak Peace Forum, Dr. Mbashir Hassan has also been arrested in Lahore. Javed Hashmi, acting head of PML(N) and 10 other activists have been arrested while the Office of Human Rights Commission was sealed off by armed military personnel and the area has been cordonored off.