An anti -terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Friday delivered on Friday to the Baloch Jakjehti (Byc) committee, Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other organizers of the group A Police custody for 15 days, marking another extension of his detention.
In March, Mahrang and other members of Byc were arrested for “attacking” the Civil Hospital of Quetta and “incite people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police repression while protested against alleged forced disappearances. The Byc is a Baloch defense group that has been working against forced disappearances since 2018.
Mahrang has been carried out in the prison of the district of Hudda in Quetta under section 3 of public order maintenance (MPO), a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain people suspected of representing a threat to public order.
On July 8, a Quetta ATC gave Mahrang and other activists to police custody for 10 days, extending its arrest of three months. The other activists were Gulzadi, Bebow Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji, Ghaffar Baloch and drinking Baloch.
Today’s hearing was occupied by Judge Atc Muhammad Ali Mubeen, while Mahrang’s lawyer, lawyer Israr Baloch and defender Shoaib Baloch appeared before the court.
At the request of the police, the judge gave Mahrang and other activists to police custody in a new 15 -day preventive detention.
Lawyer Shoaib Baloch said Dawn.com That Dr. Mahrang’s lawyers opposed the physical return of 15 days and told the court to ask the investigation team what was achieved in the 10 -day preventive detention.
“The investigation team did not answer, and zero progressed,” said the lawyer. “Despite this, the court ordered a 15 -day preventive detention.”
Today adjusted security arrangements were made for the appearance of the activist in the Court.
On Tuesday, the Amnesty International International Organization asked Baluchistan’s principal minister, Sarfaraz Bugti, to “release all Baloch activists detained.”
He asked CM Bugti to leave all the charges and cancel the arrest warrants against Baloch activists aimed only to exercise their rights.
Mahrang was arrested under MPO for a period of 30 days (first period) on March 22. Subsequently, his detention was extended for additional 30 days (second period) through a decision of the Baluchistan Interior Department in April.
After Byc leaders completed three months in custody last month, the provincial government issued a fourth extension order, extending its imprisonment in another 15 days.
Although the Byc does not appear among the organizations prohibited by the National Authority of Terrorism (NACTA), Mahrang is included in its list of proscribed people.
The constitutional requests that sought the release of Mahrang and two other activists were rejected by the Superior Baluchistan Court (BHC) in May.
Subsequently, Mahrang’s sister, Nadia Baloch, appealed to the Supreme Court in June against BHC’s decision.
The petition claimed that its “repeated illegal arrest” and label it as a “sympathizer of militants” was a planned effort of respondents to prevent their voice from lifting disappeared.
The same month, the KECH chapter of the ByC launched a three -day hunger strike against Tobat Press Club in protest of leadership arrests.
BYC’s sitting of Islamabad continues for the third day
Meanwhile, a sitting of BYC supporters that demands the release of its activists continued for the third day.
Senior Hamid Mir journalist visited the protesters today and joined briefly.
Sharing a photo of him sitting next to a girl, Mir said that the girl was protesting the “disappearance” of her father in 2016.
The sitting began on June 16, with leaders from the Tehreek-I-Thaffuz Ayeen-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance visiting the protesters later that night to express solidarity.
The president of TTAP, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, had spoken with police officers, criticizing them.
