Latest news with #MahrangBaloch
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Pakistan has crossed the red line in Balochistan: Human rights body
Paank, the Human Rights Department of Baloch National Movement (BNM), said on Sunday that the Pakistan military establishment has crossed the red line in the resource-rich province of Balochistan with the abduction of various women activists. 'In recent years, Pakistan has crossed the red line of human rights violations, religious, and humanitarian in Balochistan. The Pakistani military establishment is torturing, detaining and abducting young Baloch women, which is a grave concern for human rights defenders. They are even violating their laws in the province,' said the human rights body in a statement. Paank further emphasised that despite being a region rich in natural resources and coastal trade benefits and a feeder to the Pakistani state, Balochistan is suffering inhumane behaviour and human rights violations at the hands of the Pakistani military establishment. The human rights body pointed out that Balochistan is facing extreme military violence, like resource extraction, deprivation of basic facilities, military operations, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, criminalisation and collective punishment. 'The Pakistani military establishment is torturing, detaining and abducting young Baloch women. Paank said that the torturing, detaining and abducting of the young Baloch women is a grave concern for human rights defenders. 'This new trend started in 2006. Zarina Marri, a Baloch schoolteacher, has been incommunicado. She was picked up by the Pakistani military. Reports from whistleblowers and human rights observers indicate that she has suffered physical, psychological, and sexual torture in custody, used as a tool of repression, humiliation, and control,' the body said. It added that Zarina Marri's case is not isolated but part of a sustained, deliberate campaign of state terror waged by the Pakistani military establishment against Baloch women and activists. Paank said that the arbitrary arrests and harassment of Mahrang Baloch, Bebow Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, and Mahjabeen Baloch for peacefully demanding justice and human rights expose a system built on the brutal suppression of dissent. 'We (Baloch) have knocked every door of justice but only received condemnation from you, not practical action against the barbaric practice of the Pakistani state against the Baloch people. And yet, despite years of escalating abuse, where is your outrage? Where is your intervention? Where are the investigations, the condemnations, the demands for accountability?' the body said. Paank said that human rights and feminist groups have never hesitated to condemn state violence in Palestine, Iran, India, Myanmar, and elsewhere. 'But when it comes to Balochistan, your silence is loud, and your inaction is complicity,' Paank added.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
84 enforced disappearances, 33 extrajudicial killings reported in Balochistan in June: Rights group
Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, said on Sunday that Balochistan in Pakistan witnessed 84 cases of enforced disappearances and 33 cases of extrajudicial killings in the month of June. In its recent report titled 'Balochistan Human Rights Report – June 2025', Paank has documented cases of particularly enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Paank noted that the data mentioned in the report is based on verified reports from June 2025 and demonstrates the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan. According to the report, numerous cases of enforced disappearances and illegal detentions were reported across 14 districts of Balochistan in June, including incidents from Karachi and Islamabad. The districts of Kech and Mastung in Balochistan recorded the highest number of disappearances. A total of 84 people were forcibly disappeared in June, as per the report. Among them, many were held without any legal process, and 32 individuals were later released after suffering both mental and physical torture while in custody. In the report, the Paank accused Pakistani forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings without a pause. According to the report, the Pakistani military is reportedly detaining and killing individuals without any legal process, often for unknown reasons. Paank said that 33 cases of extrajudicial killings were reported in Balochistan in June. It said, "These actions reflect a disturbing trend of unchecked violence by state authorities." "The repeated use of enforced disappearances followed by extrajudicial killings has become a hallmark of state policy in Balochistan. Victims are often taken without any legal process and later found dead, bearing signs of torture. The silence of institutions and lack of judicial oversight have allowed this crisis to grow. For families, the trauma is twofold—first the disappearance, then the discovery of mutilated bodies, often dumped in remote areas. This ongoing pattern reflects a deep human rights emergency that demands urgent international attention," said the Paank report. It noted that the abductions of Baloch youth from Karachi and Islamabad have also become increasingly common, which has sparked concerns among families and human rights defenders. It said that the racial profiling case of Baloch students remains pending in the Islamabad High Court despite repeated calls for action. According to the report, Baloch activists Mahrang Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Sibghat Ullah Baloch, and Beeberg Baloch remain in custody despite appearing before the court. The Paank said that the Baloch activists were handed over to the police on a 10-day physical remand under newly fabricated terrorism charges instead of being released and said that the "move appears to be a clear tactic by the authorities to silence peaceful activists and leaders, and to keep them locked up without fair trial or evidence."
The Print
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Pakistan fabricates terror charges, manipulates courts to frame Baloch leaders, says a Baloch group
According to the BYC X post, the leaders were taken to court between 10 and 11 AM, where Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials falsely claimed the 3MPO orders had already been revoked. Based on these misleading statements, the ATC granted a 10-day police remand under newly filed and baseless FIRs. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the BYC revealed that its leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch, Shah Jee, Beebagr Baloch, Ghafar Baloch, Gulzadi, and Beebow Baloch, were informed early on Monday morning that their 3MPO detentions had been lifted and they would be presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). However, this occurred hours before the scheduled 3MPO Review Board meeting, set for 12 to 1 PM. Balochistan : The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has denounced what it calls a calculated state operation aimed at silencing Baloch political voices through fabricated terror charges and legal deception. This comes after a dramatic escalation on July 8, when key BYC leaders were abruptly shifted from preventive detention under 3MPO laws to terrorism custody, a move the group says blatantly violates due process and constitutional rights. However, when relatives and associates of BYC approached the High Court to confirm the removal of 3MPOs, it became evident that the board meeting had yet to occur. The official release orders for the 3MPO detentions were only issued after the board convened from 12 to 1 PM, demonstrating that the state had prematurely and unlawfully transferred custody to pursue fabricated terrorism accusations before any legal release occurred. The BYC also said that this intentional bypassing of due process, falsely asserting that the MPOs were removed before the board meeting, is a calculated effort to deny a lawful release and intensify the persecution of BYC leadership. From arbitrary detentions of over three months concerning 3MPO to unlawful post-3MPO custody, and now the imposition of false terrorism allegations with a 10-day remand, the state has initiated a coordinated assault, both legal and administrative, on the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. BYC calls it a situation not of isolated malfeasance but rather a systematic strategy to criminalise peaceful political dissent through legal manipulation, deception, and suppression. BYC has denounced this continued exploitation of the legal system to stifle their movement. They have urged the immediate and unconditional release of all BYC leaders in detention and call upon both national and international human rights organisations to urgently address this misuse of law and violations of due process. This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also read: Uprising in Pakistan, hope in Agra's 'mini Balochistan' where families still dream of a freed homeland
Business Recorder
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
ATC sends Mahrang, BYC activists on 10-day physical remand
QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Tuesday handed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other organisers of the group into police custody for 10 days, extending their three-month detention. In March, Mahrang and other BYC members were arrested for 'attacking' the Quetta Civil Hospital and 'inciting people to violence'; a day after the group faced a police crackdown for protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang is currently held at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta under a March 22 Maintenance of Public Order (MPO); a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order. Aside from Mahrang, other BYC organisers who were sent on a 10-day remand today include Sibghatullah Shah, Beberg Baloch, Ghaffar Baloch, Gulzadi and Beebow Baloch. Mahrang's sister, Nadia Baloch, appealed in June against the rejection of a petition pleading against her detention under the MPO. The appeal before the Supreme Court contended that the high court order was contrary to the Constitution, law and facts. The petition alleged that her repeated unlawful detention and labelling her as a sympathiser of militants was a planned effort by the respondents to stop her from raising her voice for missing persons. The same month, the Kech chapter of the BYC launched a three-day hunger strike in front of the Turbat Press Club in protest of the arrests of the leadership. Constitutional petitions seeking the release of the activists were rejected by the Balochistan High Court in May.
Express Tribune
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
ATC grants police 10-day physical remand of Dr Mahrang Baloch, other BYC activists
Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch is being escorted by police personnel during her appearance at an anti-terrorism court in Quetta on July 8, 2025. PHOTO: PPI An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta has granted police 10-day physical remand of Dr Mahrang Baloch, the head of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and five other members of the group. The ATC's decision comes as an extension of their ongoing detention, which has already lasted over three months. During Tuesday's hearing, six BYC members, including Dr Mahrang, were presented before Judge Saadat Bazai. The court approved the prosecutor's request to extend their remand, giving investigators more time for questioning. The other detained activists include Gulzadi, Bebow Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji, Ghaffar Baloch and Beberg Baloch. The detainees were represented in court by Advocate Israr Baloch and Advocate Shoaib Baloch, who argued against the prolonged detention. However, the judge ruled in favor of the state, citing the need for further inquiry. The BYC, known for its activism against enforced disappearances in Balochistan since 2018, has been under increasing scrutiny by law enforcement agencies. Dr Mahrang and several of her colleagues were initially arrested in March after a protest turned tense near Quetta's Civil Hospital. Authorities have accused them of inciting public disorder and confronting police forces during the demonstration. Dr Mahrang is currently being held at Quetta's Hudda District Jail under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law—a legal provision that allows preventive detention for individuals considered a threat to public peace.
