Quetta, Dec 4 (NationPress) The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a prominent human rights organization, has vociferously criticized the ongoing detention of its chief organizer, Mahrang Baloch, and other leaders, which has now extended for nine months. This condemnation comes despite Pakistan's failure to provide any substantial legal evidence against them.

The BYC highlighted that Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi had found Mahrang Baloch not guilty in one of the cases, labeling it as "fabricated, baseless, and lacking any admissible evidence." However, this ruling has not led to her release, as she and other BYC leaders continue to face detention on several additional “fabricated” charges, raising serious concerns regarding human rights.

The allegations of sedition and incitement to public disorder against Mahrang Baloch, which were lodged in October, have been declared as devoid of factual basis and legally unsustainable by the BYC. “The case filed on October 11, 2024, at the Quaidabad Police Station in Karachi's Malir District, failed to meet even the minimum evidentiary standards needed for prosecution. The court noted that there was no credible evidence connecting Baloch to any offense, nor any proof that could support a lawful conviction under the Anti-Terrorism Act or the Pakistan Penal Code,” the rights organization stated.

The BYC reported that the court reaffirmed that there was "no likelihood of the accused being involved in any offense or of her being convicted,” asserting that the charges were without “probative value, lacked investigative integrity, and represented a clear misapplication of criminal law.”

Furthermore, the BYC highlighted that the remaining charges against Mahrang Baloch and her associates are similarly viewed as unfounded, following the same pattern of unsupported allegations and politically motivated claims.

This pattern demonstrates a broader and alarming trend where Pakistani authorities use legal frameworks and anti-terrorism laws as instruments of coercion against human rights advocates instead of serving justice and public safety.

The BYC emphasized that the use of baseless charges in the absence of evidence constitutes a misuse of prosecutorial discretion, undermines constitutional guarantees of due process, and endangers the fundamental principles of the rule of law.

The organization has called upon international human rights bodies, legal observer missions, and United Nations special procedures to closely monitor the situation. Continuous scrutiny and engagement are crucial to ensure that Mahrang Baloch, her colleagues, and other BYC activists are granted their “full legal rights, safeguarded from politically motivated prosecutions, and provided immediate relief from unjust detention.”