Balochistan [Pakistan], June 26 : The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has charged that Pakistani authorities are unlawfully prolonging the detention of its central leadership, such as Dr. Mahrang Baloch, beyond the constitutionally permitted duration under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
BYC central leader Dr. Sabiha Baloch has recently stated that the organisation's leadership remains in "unlawful detention" despite their 90-day term having expired. "Per Article 10 of the Constitution of Pakistan, any individual held under Section 3 of the MPO must be presented to a qualified review board within 90 days," she noted.
Dr. Baloch continued by saying that the review board is required to provide the detainee with a personal hearing to assess whether continued detention is warranted. "However, our leadership has been denied this basic legal entitlement," she stated.
As per The Balochistan Post, the BYC indicated that Dr. Mahrang Baloch and activist Beebow Baloch were apprehended on 22 March and confined in Hudda Jail under Section 3 of the MPO. Their three-month detention term lapsed on 22 June, yet they have not been released.
BYC also mentioned that central committee member Bibarg Baloch was arrested on 19 March and kept incommunicado for six days before being moved to Hudda Jail on 25 March. His MPO detention period concluded on 25 June.
"No formal measures have been taken for their release, there has been no creation of a review board, no hearings conducted, and no constitutional or legal justifications provided," the BYC stated. "This represents a clear violation of Article 10(4) of Pakistan's Constitution."
The organisation observed that prison officials have given "vague and inconsistent" reasons for the ongoing detention. When queried, the jail superintendent reportedly suggested that the detention "might have been extended by 15 days," but did not provide any written or legal documentation. Other BYC activists, Sibghatullah Shah Ji, Gulzadi Baloch, Mama Ghafar Baloch, and Imran Baloch, are also being held without judicial orders or legal justification. "There are growing fears that the state may persist in employing this unlawful tactic even after the MPO detention periods have expired," the BYC statement asserted.
BYC has appealed to Pakistan's legal community to "end its silence on this constitutional and human rights crisis" and urged international human rights organisations to take action. "The global community must urge Pakistan's state institutions to cease the unlawful detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, and other BYC leaders and political activists," the statement urged.
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