Amnesty International slams Pakistan for using anti-terror laws to crush Baloch voices

Quetta [Pakistan], July 17 : Amnesty International has issued a report demanding the immediate and unconditional release of detained leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), whose arrests Amnesty calls a flagrant example of Pakistan's state repression in Balochistan, The Balochistan Post reported.

According to the report, Baloch activists such as Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Zehri, Beebow Baloch, Shah Jee Sibghat Ullah, Ghaffar Qambarani, and Gulzadi Baloch have been persecuted for their activism. They are currently being held in unjust detention, which contravenes both international and national laws. This detention is part of a broader crackdown occurring in Balochistan province against peaceful demonstrations and the right to free expression, achieved through the misuse of anti-terrorism and public order legislation. There are serious worries regarding their safety and well-being, as they are being denied necessary medical care and are vulnerable to torture during their unlawful detention.

The crackdown began in March 2025 when Bebarg Zehri, despite being physically disabled due to a past grenade attack, was abducted by Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department. Two days later, Mahrang Baloch and Beebow Baloch were arrested during a peaceful protest after the killing of three demonstrators by Pakistani forces. Mahrang Baloch was denied medical aid despite falling ill in custody, while Beebow Baloch was reportedly tortured, The Balochistan Post reported.

Amnesty condemned the Pakistani state's use of colonial-era laws like the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 to detain peaceful activists without trial, blatantly violating international law and even Pakistan's own legal limits. The detained BYC leaders were paraded before an anti-terrorism court on July 8, yet no formal charges were presented, The Balochistan Post highlighted.

The report further underlines Pakistan's routine use of enforced disappearances, with 2,332 cases documented in 2024 alone, largely from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Amnesty pointed to increasing harassment and criminalisation of Baloch human rights defenders like Gulzar Dost and Jalila Haider, calling it a disturbing trend of state-sponsored terror, The Balochistan Post reported.

Amnesty International urged global powers to pressure Pakistan to release all detained Baloch activists and halt its brutal crackdown. The organisation called for accountability, stressing that Pakistan must not be allowed to suppress fundamental freedoms with impunity, The Balochistan Post concluded.

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