LAHORE
More than three months have passed since the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC) leadership was detained under the controversial MPO law (Maintenance of Public Order, Section 3). For the families of those arrested, the wait for justice seems never-ending, as legal hurdles are being drawn out, while the silence from the authorities is deafening.
Among those affected is Nadia Baloch, the younger sister of Mahrang Baloch, a prominent rights activist who raised her voice against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
“I feel proud to be Mahrang’s sister,” Nadia told Voicepk. “After her detention, when we were finally allowed to meet her after waiting for hours she greeted us with a smile. From the beginning, she has faced everything with courage and determination.”
In March, BYC leaders including Mahrang were arrested following protests and clashes with law enforcement in Quetta. BYC had been organizing demonstrations demanding justice for Baloch missing persons.
The BYC leadership arrests were made under the Public Maintenance Order (3MPO), a colonial-era law that allows the government to detain individuals without trial to maintain public order. The initial detention orders, issued by district administrations, were later a month extended by the Home and Tribal Affairs Department.
Human rights groups have strongly criticized the 3MPO, calling it a ‘black law’ used to silence dissent. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also said that the law bypasses legal safeguards and enables arbitrary detention.
“For every crime, there is a legal process. When there is no crime, the government uses 3MPO,” said senior lawyer and HRCP council member Habib Tahir. He said HRCP requested permission to visit Mahrang in custody but was denied. Only her family and lawyer have been allowed access.
Voicepk approached Spokesman for government of Balochistan Shahid Rind but he didn’t respond to our questions till the publication of the report.
For Nadia, the situation brings back painful memories. “This is not new to us. We suffered during our father’s time – we were children then. Later, during our brother’s time, Mahrang stood strong and took care of us. She supported our education and our home. Now she’s detained, and everything is falling apart. My mother is distressed, and our education has been disrupted.”
Mahrang’s legal team challenged her detention in the Balochistan High Court, but the court upheld the government’s order. The case has now been taken to the Supreme Court, but a hearing date has not yet been fixed.
“The High Court could have granted relief on merit, but it didn’t,” says one of her lawyers, Imran Tahir. “When there is no evidence, the government turns to 3MPO to suppress voices it finds inconvenient.”
He added that detainees under 3MPO are not produced before a court and are not eligible for bail, effectively cutting them off from the justice system.
But despite the attempt to silence Mahrang by putting her in prison, she has instead become a symbolic figure for the families of missing persons in Balochistan. Her activism has given hope to many who feel abandoned by the State.
“The 3MPO should not apply on someone like her,” said Advocate Imran Baloch. “This is a black law being used to punish someone who dared to speak out.”