‘Political vendetta by Pak authorities’: Baloch rights group after courts grant bail to detained leaders

Quetta, Jan 1 Human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) asserted that consecutive bail orders issued by multiple courts across Balochistan underscore the “baseless, fabricated, and politically motivated nature of the cases” filed against its peaceful leadership by the Pakistani authorities.

According to the BYC, its chief organiser, Mahrang Baloch and the other leaders, including Beebarg Baloch, Shahji Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, and Beebow Baloch, have been unlawfully detained for the past ten months.

The rights body said the BYC leaders were initially held under the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) for three months, a law that allows “preventative detention” based on the government’s assessment of “potential threats to public order”. Their detention was, however, extended through what the BYC described as “politically motivated FIRs”.

Despite these cases being bailable, the BYC alleged that their incarceration has been prolonged through repeated remands, deliberate delays in submitting investigation reports, and systematic procedural obstruction.

“On December 30, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Kalat granted bail to the leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in four FIRs. Earlier, on December 29, bail was granted in two ordinary FIRs registered in Mastung. In Quetta, the City Court granted bail in four FIRs, and on December 31, bail was also approved in two ordinary FIRs in Saryab, Quetta,” read a statement issued by the BYC.

The rights body stated that the Pakistani courts have “explicitly observed that the FIRs lack substantive grounds and that the activities attributed to BYC leaders fall squarely within their constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression”.

However, it said, in multiple cases, despite investigations being completed, bail continues to be withheld in some courts, resulting in the continued detention of peaceful BYC leaders.

The BYC asserted that allegations against its leadership do not involve violence or criminal conduct; rather, they stem from “political hostility and fear of a non-violent movement” that has gained popular support by speaking out against enforced disappearances, human rights violations, and systemic injustice in Balochistan.

“The bail orders already granted leave no room for doubt: these cases pertain to peaceful political activity and freedom of expression, rights explicitly protected under Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan. When identical cases result in bail across multiple jurisdictions but remain stalled before the Quetta Anti-Terrorism Court, serious concerns arise regarding equality before the law and the credibility of judicial independence,” the BYC stressed.

The rights body appealed to international human rights organisations to raise their voices for the immediate release of BYC leaders and to take urgent measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders in Balochistan.

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