By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court in Quetta on Friday extended the detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent right activist and the leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and five other activists for an additional 15 days, a case that has sparked international criticism and and drawn sharp focus on human rights issues in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province.
The ruling by ATC Judge Muhammad Ali Mubeen handed Dr. Baloch and her colleagues, Gulzadi, Beebow Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji, Ghaffar Baloch, and Beberg Baloch, into police custody yet again, extending a months-long ordeal that began with their arrests in March.
The activists face charges of attacking the Quetta Civil Hospital and inciting violence during a protest against enforced disappearances, a deeply contentious issue in the region. Tight security surrounded the courthouse as the six were presented for the hearing.
The BYC, a group formed in 2018 to advocate against enforced disappearances, has been at the forefront of protests in Balochistan, where thousands are believed to have been abducted over the years. The March demonstration, held a day after a police crackdown on the group, descended into chaos, leading to the arrests of Dr. Baloch and 17 others.
Authorities accuse the BYC leadership of assisting rioters in shooting police officers and civilians, resulting in three deaths and injuries to 15 officers. The group is also alleged to have stormed the Civil Hospital and forcibly removed the bodies of attackers linked to the Jaffer Express train bombing from the morgue.
An FIR filed at Saryab Police Station lists a litany of charges under Sections 7 and 11W of the Anti-Terrorism Act and 16 sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including terrorism, murder, attempted murder, incitement to violence, rebellion, creating disorder, promoting racial hatred, and damaging property. A separate FIR from the Civil Lines Police Station details the hospital incident, alleging that 100 to 150 people, spurred by BYC leaders, raided the facility.
Dr. Baloch and her co-accused have been held under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, a law granting authorities broad powers to detain individuals deemed a threat to public order. Initially arrested on March 22 for a 30-day term, their detention has been extended repeatedly, first by the Balochistan Home Department in April for another 30 days, then again last month for 15 days, and most recently on July 8 for 10 days before Friday’s ruling.
The activists’ legal team, led by Advocates Israr Baloch and Shoaib Baloch, fiercely contested the latest extension. “No response was given by the investigation team, and zero progress was made,” Advocate Shoaib Baloch told reporters after the hearing, noting that the court had ignored their demand to justify the previous 10-day remand. “Despite this, the court ordered a 15-day remand.”
The case has ignited outrage beyond Pakistan’s borders. On Tuesday, Amnesty International called on Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti to “release all detained Baloch activists” and “drop all charges and overturn detention orders against Baloch activists targeted solely for exercising their rights.” The organization’s statement underscored the growing international scrutiny of the case, which has become a flashpoint in the broader struggle over human rights in Balochistan.
That struggle is rooted in the province’s long-standing crisis of enforced disappearances. Human rights groups allege that security forces have abducted hundreds of Baloch activists, students, and civilians, often without legal recourse. The government denies these claims, but the issue fuels unrest in a region rich in resources yet marked by poverty and insurgency.
Dr. Baloch, listed as a proscribed person by the National Counter Terrorism Authority despite the BYC not being a banned organization, has emerged as a prominent voice in this fight. Her detention has galvanized supporters and drawn legal challenges.
In May, the Balochistan High Court rejected petitions seeking her release and that of two other activists. Her sister, Nadia Baloch, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in June, arguing that Dr. Baloch’s “repeated unlawful detention” and labeling as a “sympathizer of militants” are deliberate attempts to silence her advocacy for missing persons. That appeal remains pending.
The BYC’s Kech chapter staged a three-day hunger strike outside the Turbat Press Club in June to protest the arrests, while in March, over 100 civil society members penned a joint letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The letter condemned the detentions as an “attempt to suppress voices demanding an end to enforced disappearances and fundamental rights for the people of Balochistan” and urged immediate action for the activists’ release.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
