October 15, 2024
By Shaukat Korai
KARACHI
Accepting grounds for Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s constitutional petition, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday, October 14, suspended ‘any and all action’ against the Baloch rights activist under a first information report (FIR) filed against her under terrorism charges.
A two-member bench of the SHC, comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Adnan Karim Memon, also barred the police from arresting Dr. Baloch and from registering any further cases against her.
On October 7, Dr. Baloch was temporarily detained and had her passport confiscated by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) at the Jinnah International Airport. In her petition to the court, filed through her counsel, Jibran Nasir, she also held that she had been harassed and intimidated by Sindh Police personnel after she had left the airport.
First information report
On October 11, a first information report (FIR) was registered against her at the Quaidabad police station on the complaint of one Asad Ali Shams. The case included Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, as well as Sections 124-A (sedition), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 153-A (promotion of enmity between groups), 500 (defamation), and 505 (public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Speaking to media outside the courtroom, Nasir explained that the October 11, FIR was completely fabricated.
“The FIR stated that between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Dr. Mahrang Baloch was on the streets of Malir trying to incite people into chanting anti-state slogans,” he said.
“Not only was I illegally barred from travelling, I was also assaulted and attacked,” added Dr Mahrang. “My passport was snatched from me and instead a case was registered against me.” Dr. Baloch expressed hope that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) would also prioritise her plea against the human rights violations in Balochistan.
TIME Magazine event
In Monday’s hearing, Nasir informed the bench that Dr. Baloch had been invited by TIME magazine to attend a commemorative event in New York, as she had been included TIME’s list for the year’s 100 emerging leaders. He said that she was due to travel from the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on October 7 but had been prevented from boarding her flight.
Dr. Baloch, through her counsel, submitted that none of the cases filed against her either in Balochistan or Sindh have ever been brought forward. The SHC issued directives to the authorities to submit their replies to the Baloch activist’s plea within seven days.
It is pertinent to note that TIME Magazine also covered the controversy surrounding the October 7 incident, noting that while Dr. Baloch’s “activism has always been peaceful, the response from Pakistan’s government has not.”