Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately release three individuals — Pashtun leader Zubair Shah Agha, Baloch activist Syed Bibi Baloch, and journalist Ahmad Farhad — while demanding an end to the systematic misuse of administrative detention laws to silence peaceful dissent. The appeal, issued on 15 July, underscores deepening international concern over Pakistan's use of preventive detention statutes against human rights defenders, journalists, and minority community activists.

Zubair Shah Agha's Detention

Zubair Shah Agha, a core committee member of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), was detained on 28 June following his attendance at a press conference organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Quetta. The event was held in response to the sentencing of Baloch human rights activist Mahrang Baloch.

He has since been held under Section 3 of Pakistan's Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), a statute that permits 'preventative detention' based solely on the government's assessment of 'potential threats to public order' — a threshold critics argue is dangerously broad. According to Amnesty International, 'Zubair Agha's detention is the latest in a growing pattern of Pakistani authorities using administrative detention powers to arbitrarily deprive activists, journalists and human rights defenders of their liberty.'

Syed Bibi Baloch Arrested Without Legal Justification

Syed Bibi Baloch, a Baloch female activist, was taken into administrative detention under the MPO on 1 July in the Turbat region of Balochistan, hours after a peaceful protest was announced over Mahrang's sentencing. According to the BYC, she was arrested by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) from her residence in Kech district without any legal justification.

Notably, despite having her name placed on the Fourth Schedule of Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, Bibi had reportedly been complying fully with CTD directives — reporting to the CTD office every week for the past several months. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) described her arrest as part of a 'sustained pattern of harassment and intimidation' targeting her over recent years. Several human rights organisations condemned the move, characterising it as part of an escalating crackdown amounting to 'Pakistani fascism.'

Journalist Ahmad Farhad Held in PoK

Journalist Ahmad Farhad was detained under the MPO on 20 June in Bagh city of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where he reportedly remains in custody. Ireland-based rights group Front Line Defenders last week called for his immediate release and the withdrawal of all charges, alleging he is being targeted for his independent reporting and human rights work in PoK.

Front Line Defenders said the crackdown in PoK is 'not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violence against individuals who speak out against authorities.' It added that journalists like Farhad are 'especially vulnerable as they challenge state-sponsored misinformation and report independently from the ground.'

A Widening Crackdown on Dissent

The three cases together point to what rights groups describe as a coordinated escalation against peaceful activism across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and PoK. The MPO, originally a colonial-era instrument, has drawn repeated criticism for enabling detention without trial or transparent judicial oversight. This is not the first time international bodies have flagged Pakistan's use of preventive detention against minority rights defenders — similar concerns were raised during earlier crackdowns on PTM activists in 2019 and 2021.

With international scrutiny intensifying, the question of whether Islamabad will respond to Amnesty International's demands — or continue to invoke public order provisions against peaceful civic actors — will be closely watched by global human rights monitors in the weeks ahead.