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Baloch rights activist, Mahrang Baloch has been charged with terrorism for allegedly inciting people by levelling "allegations against security institutions," the Dwan reported on Saturday.
Baloch is the head of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which has coordinated several sit-ins and demonstrations against forced disappearances in Balochistan over the past few months. The Quaidabad police in the Malir district filed the FIR on Friday in response to a complaint from Asad Ali Shams, a local, alleging that Baloch was instigating violence in his community, the Dawn reported. The FIR was filed under Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, additionally with sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in prosecution of a common object), 124-A (sedition law), 153-A (promotion of enmity between groups), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The Dawn reported that according to Quaidabad Station House Officer (SHO), Farasat Shah, Baloch, along with her colleagues, did not participate in any protests or rallies on Friday. Shah said that the complainant was against Baloch because he believed she was inciting the populace to rebel against the government and its institutions. "I am 100 per cent sure that Mahrang Baloch is carrying out anti-national activities in collaboration with BLA [Baloch Liberation Army] terrorists," the complainant stated as per the FIR. The FIR claimed that Baloch was involved in activities carried out by nine different militant groups, including the BLA, the Dawn reported. "The innocent men and women of Balochistan have been misled in the failed anti-state conspiracies," it said. Meanwhile, Baloch referred to the case as "fabricated," claiming it demonstrated "how the state has grown increasingly uncomfortable" with her activism. "My peaceful activism will not be deterred by such illegal, unconstitutional and coercive tactics," she said in a post on X. "These measures are part of a systematic campaign not only to harass me but also to divert attention from the ongoing failure of security agencies to maintain law and order; therefore, they keep shifting blame for their failures onto others," she added. Baloch stated that the FIR attempted to undermine the Baloch nation's united battle and that she would "remain determined and unafraid of these coercive actions." "I will fight this in a court of law," the activist vowed. On Tuesday, she was not permitted to board a flight by the immigration officials at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport scheduled for New York, where she was supposed to attend a Time magazine event. The activist had stated that she was scheduled to attend the Time magazine gala as a result of being listed among Time 100Next, the Dawn reported. Baloch claimed that she was stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), after which she vowed to take the government to court to contest its decision to limit her international travel. Balochistan is a region that has experienced decades of violence, and systemic abuses by Pakistan authorities. This includes the military, intelligence agencies and armed groups that continue to target local communities and human rights defenders who seek to document and advocate against the violations. (ANI)
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