Pakistan human rights activist charged with aiding separatists News
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Pakistan human rights activist charged with aiding separatists

Prominent human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been charged with aiding separatist groups in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, officials revealed Saturday. The charges against Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), include accusations of incitement, spreading hatred, and facilitating terrorist organizations.

The case against Baloch was registered following a complaint filed by local businessman Asad Ali at the Quaidabad police station in Karachi. Ali alleged that Baloch had incited youth against the state and facilitated militant activities under the guise of peaceful protests and rallies. According to the first information report (FIR), Baloch and her group maintain contact with hostile foreign elements and have been involved in organizing sit-ins across various cities, which the police claim disrupt public order and security.

The FIR also invoked Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 7 of the ATA (punishment for acts of terrorism), Section 124-A (sedition law), and Sections 148, 149, 153-A, 500, and 505, related to rioting, defamation, and promoting enmity between groups.

Baloch, a vocal critic of Pakistan’s security agencies, denied the allegations and called the case against her fabricated. She stated that the government is using coercive tactics to suppress her peaceful activism. “These measures are part of a systematic campaign to harass me and divert attention from the state’s failure to maintain law and order,” Baloch posted on social media platform X. She vowed to challenge the charges in court.

The case comes just days after Baloch was prevented from boarding a flight to New York, where she was to attend TIME Magazine’s gala honoring her as one of the 100 most influential emerging leaders of 2024. Alongside fellow activist Sammi Deen Baloch, she was subjected to harassment at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, where her passport was confiscated without explanation.

The FIR follows heightened tensions in Balochistan, where separatist groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have waged a low-level insurgency against the state. Baloch has been a prominent voice for justice for the “disappeared” in Balochistan, leading protests and demanding accountability for extrajudicial killings in the region.

Despite the accusations, Baloch remains resolute, emphasizing that she will continue her fight for the rights of the Baloch people.

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