GWADAR: A minor has been booked in a terror abettment case in Gwadar for allegedly sharing a video on social media, officials told Dawn.

The case, registered by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Makran, accuses a seven-year-old boy of sharing the video of a speech by human rights activist Gulzar Dost in Turbat.

The boy was presented in a court on Thursday.

Officials said the controversial speech delivered by Mr Dost was shared on TikTok by the minor, which was a crime under the Anti Terrorism Act, since the orator was placed in the Fourth Schedule by the provincial government.

Mr Dost has been in detention for the last two weeks.

HRCP ‘appalled’

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the action.

In a statement, the commission said it was “appalled” by reports that a minor has been presented before an anti-terrorism court on charges of “terrorism” for allegedly sharing the speech of a rights activist on social media.

The “misuse” of anti-terror laws reflected a “gross violation of child rights and due process”.

“We demand the immediate withdrawal of charges, a thorough review of the FIR and accountability for the officials responsible for this alarming overreach,” the HRCP statement added.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2025