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The Wire
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Activists In Balochistan Maintain Resolve As Mahrang Baloch Approaches 4 Months In Jail
South Asia As Mahrang and other leaders of the BYC remain in jail, activists say they will continue to challenge the 'bogus' FIRs against them. She demanded accountability from the authorities, asking, 'Who has killed and abducted [the] Baloch?' She stressed that false allegations and spurious charges cannot absolve the state of responsibility. 'It is enough now – we have endured grave injustices and immense hardship,' she said, her voice thick with emotion as she spoke to The Wire. 'Despite everything, we still believe in the constitution and the rule of law. But we don't know whether justice will be served – or if injustice will be our only fate.' Mahrang, a prominent leader from Balochistan and head of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), was arrested on March 22 for holding a protest over the authorities' refusal to hand over several bodies. Officials claimed the deceased were involved in the Jaffar Express attack that same month. However, BYC leaders demanded that DNA tests be conducted and due process followed, rather than allowing the state to quietly bury the bodies. They further alleged that the government had produced the bodies of missing persons, falsely labeling them as terrorists. On July 8, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta – the capital of Balochistan province – ruled that Mahrang and her BYC colleagues Beebow Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Bebarg Baloch Sibagatullah Shah and Ghaffar Baloch were to be removed from Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), which allows law enforcement to detain and arrest people accused of posing a threat to public order. However, they were simultaneously re-arrested under new, allegedly fabricated FIRs, and the court granted police a ten-day remand. Nadia said that since March 22, they had insisted the government unlawfully jailed BYC leaders under Section 3 of the MPO or in fabricated FIRs. 'It took 107 days for the court to recognise that the BYC leaders could not be detained simultaneously under both the MPO and FIRs,' she said. The court eventually ordered the removal of the MPO charges while allowing the FIRs to proceed. Speaking to The Wire, Nadia said the authorities were likely to bring forth multiple FIRs in an attempt to keep the BYC leaders behind bars. Still, she added, they would continue to challenge what she described as 'bogus FIRs'. Mahrang's legal notice to DG ISPR On June 18, Mahrang served a legal notice to Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Pakistan armed forces' Inter-Services Public Relations division (DG ISPR), stating that he had made defamatory remarks against her and the BYC during a press conference on May 23 and a speech on June 2. In the notice, she claimed that he had described them as a 'deformed evil face', which she said damaged her reputation. She maintained that the BYC was a peaceful civil rights group and noted that she had recently been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Akhtar Mengal, president of the Balochistan National Party and former chief minister of Balochistan, told The Wire that allegations like those made against Mahrang had long been used against those who questioned Islamabad's policies in the province. 'These accusations have been used against everyone who has challenged the state's injustices,' he said, citing the example of Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in August 2006 during General Pervez Musharraf's military rule. 'Bugti believed in democracy – but he was assassinated for demanding justice.' Mengal warned that if the state continued to ignore the voices of the Baloch, they would be forced to seek other paths. 'It is the state that is pushing the Baloch against the wall,' he said. 'Peaceful voices in Balochistan are being punished. It's not just Mahrang – every Baloch who asks for justice is treated the same way.' Sabiha Baloch, a key organiser of the BYC, told The Wire that the Baloch people had long been victims of state violence and were left helpless. She said that the only recourse available to them was the constitution, through which they demanded justice. 'Those who raise their voices are often labeled either terrorists or anti-state,' she said, adding that BYC has faced such accusations repeatedly. Speaking about Mahrang's legal notice, Sabiha called it a courageous move. 'Mahrang's stance is a bold step. I don't think anyone has ever dared to challenge such a powerful man in such a powerful position,' she said. 'This practice of branding people as anti-state must end.' Sammi Deen Baloch, a recipient of the International Human Rights Award and another key organiser of the BYC, told The Wire that the state's treatment of the Baloch was riddled with contradictions. 'When a Baloch wins an international human rights award, the mainstream media calls us Pakistani,' she said, referring to her own experience when the headlines read like the following: 'Pakistan's Sammi Deen Baloch receives international award for human rights activism.' 'But when the Baloch demand justice, ask for their rights or seek the whereabouts of their loved ones, they are labeled anti-state.' Nadia said her family had endured ongoing violations and injustice, adding that her concerns extended beyond her sister's case. 'Even when I go to the hospital, Vigo vehicles [a pickup truck often used by authorities engaged in covert work] follow me,' she said. According to her, the decision to send the legal notice to the DG ISPR was not an easy one. 'Mahrang took days to reflect before proceeding, especially as the state continued to portray her as anti-state,' she said, calling the DG's speech and press conference 'baseless'. 'Mahrang is in jail, yet she has sent a legal notice to a powerful authority – someone who controls not only the country but Balochistan as well,' Nadia said. 'Her decision sends a message to the state: the Baloch are asking for justice and cannot be silenced by being labeled anti-state.' 'If they have proof, let them present it in court,' she added. 'Mahrang will fight it through legal means. Otherwise, no one has the right to defame her character.' Terrorist groups issue threats as authorities serve notice to silence voices Sabiha further stated that the state was not only labelling Baloch activists as anti-state, but that even terrorist organisations like the Islamic State had issued statements targeting leaders of the BYC, declaring them anti-state and calling for their killing. She said the statement named herself, Mahrang and others, including a local journalist. 'No one in the state has taken notice of these threats,' she said. 'How is it possible that a terrorist group is openly threatening political activists and ordinary citizens, and yet the state remains silent?' Sabiha alleged that the silence from authorities amounted to complicity. 'Now those who seek justice for the Baloch are being targeted by terrorist organisations – and the state's silence is evidence that it is happening with their approval,' she said. Mengal had led a protest rally in March against the arrest of Mahrang and other members of BYC. During the rally in Mastung's Luk Pass, a suicide bomber attempted to attack the protesters. Demonstrators identified the attacker and thwarted the attempt. But the violence was not the only response Mengal faced. After he publicly demanded the release of Mahrang and other BYC members, he received a notice from the Cyber Crime Reporting Unit. Authorities accused him of using his X account to spread false information and glorify a proscribed individual, i.e. Mahrang. Speaking to The Wire, Mengal said that terrorist organisations like the Islamic State were, in his view, linked to the state. 'The Baloch who demand justice are either threatened directly by the state or by state-sponsored militants,' he said. Referring to the suicide attack attempt during his rally, he noted that the government had neither reached out to them about the incident nor launched an investigation. 'Those who believe in democracy are being threatened in multiple ways to silence them,' he said. 'But those who follow the establishment's script – like the Form 45 crowd – face no such threats.' Form 45 refers to the official election result count. 'These threats will not silence the Baloch, and not even Mahrang,' Mengal said. 'We will continue to raise our voices for justice.' Nadia recalled Mahrang's words, saying that when the latter returned from Islamabad, people across Balochistan had welcomed her warmly. 'That was our reality then – and this, too, is our reality now,' she had told Nadia. 'We are in jail merely for demanding justice.' The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Seeking conflict with N-power will be sheer stupidity'
Listen to article Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is fully secure, and invincible, the chief military spokesperson says, warning that seeking conflict with an established nuclear power for elusive objectives will be sheer stupidity. In an interview, Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that India is involved in fomenting terrorism as part of an organised conspiracy to destabilise and disrupt security in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. General Chaudhry, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), explained that the term Fitna al-Khawarij refers to armed groups that attack the armed forces and the state of Pakistan, while the term Fitna al-Hindustan is used to describe terrorists, who are supported by India. India's nefarious intentions are part of an organised conspiracy to destabilise and disrupt security in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, the DG ISPR told Al Jazeera TV in an exclusive interview. India had adopted state-sponsored terrorism as a policy against Pakistan, he added, while commenting on last month's bomb blast in Waziristan in which 16 soldiers embraced martyrdom, while over 20 people sustained injuries, according to Al Jazeera TV. The attack was claimed by Fitna al-Khawarij – a reference to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said. Pakistan has a clear stance that India is directly involved in these attacks, he added. "India is not only supporting but also financing terrorist activities in Pakistan." The ISPR chief explained that the term Khawarij referred to armed groups that attacked the armed forces and the state of Pakistan. "The current Fitna al-Khawarij is a continuation of the misguided ideology that has historically led to the killing of Muslims under a false religious narrative," he said. In Islam, the DG ISPR continued, the right to Jihad or armed conflict lies solely with the state — no individual, organisation, or group is authorized to declare it. "Fitna al-Khawarij has no connection with Islam, humanity, Pakistan, or Pakistani traditions," he said. Lt-General Chaudhry said that the term Fitna al-Hindustan was used in Pakistan to describe terrorists, who were supported by India. "Fitna al-Hindustan is particularly active in destabilising the country, especially in the province of Balochistan," he said. "Even India's political leadership has admitted multiple times to supporting terrorism within Pakistan," he said, adding that even the United States and Canada "have also acknowledged" Indian-state terrorism, he said. Lt-General Chaudhry pointed out that Ajit Doval, India's the national security adviser (NSA), was the mastermind behind the Indian state-sponsored terrorism network. He declared that any aggression against Pakistan would be a threat to regional stability. He made it clear that Pakistan was a responsible and declared nuclear power and its nuclear programme was completely secure. "Our nuclear capability is invincible and no one can dare to target our nuclear programme," he added. The chief military spokesperson also addressed broader geopolitical issues, reaffirming Pakistan's support for Iran. "In the context of the recent conflict, Pakistan's support for Iran has been entirely principled — based on the UN Charter, international law, and the laws of armed conflict," he said. When asked whether there was any concern in military that Pakistan could be the next target following recent developments in Iran, he denied such a notion. "Absolutely no concern whatsoever in the military that Pakistan can become the next target — absolutely no concern," he emphasised. He stated that there was a "sea of difference" between Pakistan and these two countries. "We are an established and declared nuclear power, and the world has no experience of going to — or even attempting to go into - a misadventure against an established nuclear power," he said. "If such a misadventure is taken or attempted, it will lead to horrific consequences which the world may not be able to endure. Hence, I have said it before and I will say it again very clearly - seeking military space or conflict space with an established nuclear power for elusive objectives is absurd, sheer stupidity, and inconvincible." (WITH INPUT FROM APP)
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Pakistan's nuclear programme fully secure: DG ISPR
ISLAMABAD: Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has categorically said that India is using terrorism as a state policy to destabilise Pakistan, especially targeting the province of Balochistan. He expressed these views during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera TV, where he highlighted growing threats to Pakistan's security and regional peace. 'India has adopted state-sponsored terrorism as a tool against Pakistan,' General Chaudhry said, terming it a deliberate attempt to undermine the country's sovereignty and internal stability. His statement follows the suicide bombing in North Waziristan last month, in which, 16 Pakistani soldiers were martyred and over 20 others injured. The banned militant group, Fitna al-Khawarij, claimed responsibility for the attack. General Chaudhry explained that the term 'Fitna al-Khawarij' is used for armed groups that target the Pakistani state and armed forces under distorted religious ideologies. These groups, he noted, falsely use religion to justify violence and represent a continuation of deviant narratives that promote extremism. He also assured that Pakistan's nuclear programme remains secure and fully protected: 'Our nuclear capability is invincible. No one can dare target it. Pakistan is a responsible and declared nuclear power, and this reflects our strategic strength and regional balance.' He said that 'Fitna al-Hindustan' refers to terrorist elements operating within Pakistan with support from Indian intelligence agencies. These operatives, he added, are particularly active in Balochistan and are involved in organised efforts to create instability in the region. 'These groups have no connection with Islam, humanity, Pakistan, or its traditions,' he emphasised. The DG ISPR also said that India's National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, is a key figure behind the operations of such networks. He mentioned that international reports, including from the United States and Canada, have acknowledged Indian involvement in cross-border terrorist activities. He added that Indian political leadership has openly admitted support for subversive actions in Pakistan on various occasions. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Military has no interest in engaging with political parties: DG ISPR
Listen to article Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said the military has no interest in engaging with political parties and should not be dragged into politics. In an interview with the BBC Urdu, the military spokesperson reiterated that the institution has consistently maintained that politics is the domain of elected representatives. 'The army has always been clear that politics is the job of politicians. Whichever party is in power represents the state at that time,' he said. He said baseless rumours and assumptions were often spread against the military for political objectives. 'When the Marka-e-Haq arrives, has the army not fulfilled its responsibilities? Has the nation ever felt the absence of the army?' he asked. DG ISPR emphasised that the army remains focused on its professional responsibilities, and its allegiance lies with the people of Pakistan, the country's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and their protection. He also noted that the military has acted in accordance with the directives of elected governments — both at the federal and provincial levels — on several occasions. Read More: Only state can declare jihad, not individuals or groups: DG ISPR Commenting on the situation in Balochistan, DG ISPR rejected the narrative that the people of the province are distanced from the military, terming it an Indian propaganda. 'We are the people's army. Balochistan is part of Pakistan, and there is no separation between the two — it is the crown of our nation,' he said. Lt Gen Chaudhry added that both federal and provincial governments are working across various sectors to improve the welfare and prosperity of the people of Balochistan.
Express Tribune
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Only state can announce jihad: DG ISPR
The military's chief spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has said only the state is authorized to announce jihad against an aggressor and not any individual or group. Lt Gen Chaudhry, who has been on an official visit to Karachi, expressed these views on Sunday during his meetings with people from different walks of life. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general, Pakistani citizens belonging to different religions enjoy equal rights under the Constitution. He said unity could only be ensured through peace and equality. "Divisions based on race or language are condemnable. All citizens of Pakistan are equal. No one can defeat us, if we stand united," he added. The military spokesperson was talking with reference to the recent conflict between Pakistan and India. The two neighbouring nations last month engaged in a brief but dangerous confrontation, weeks after a militant attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian occupied Kashmir. During the four days of active conflict initiated by India, both the countries launched missile strikes into each other's territory while also carrying out drone and cyberattacks. The conflict came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, apparently on the request of New Delhi. The DG ISPR stated that India supports terror groups in Pakistan and that the Pakistan Army is responding to this threat by using a modern war strategy. Pakistan has been accusing India of fomenting terrorism on its soil, particularly in Balochistan, which has been facing a low key insurgency for the last two decades. During his visit, the ISPR chief was accorded a warm welcome in the country's economic hub.
