KARACHI: The acting prosecutor general (PG) has challenged before the Sindh High Court the acquittal of incarcerated Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch in a sedition case by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).

A two-judge SHC bench headed by Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput took up the appeal filed by acting PG Muntazir Mehdi and issued notices to Dr Mahrang and others for Dec 24.

The BYC leader, who is currently detained at the Quetta prison in connection with some other cases, had filed an acquittal application under Section 256-K of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before the ATC-V and the judge had on Dec 3 allowed the application and acquitted her.

In the appeal filed on behalf of the state, the acting PG stated that the trial court misread evidence and allowed the acquittal application at the pre-trial stage.

He contended that the prosecution had apprised the ATC about the availability of sufficient evidence, and the same would be produced in court during the trial.

However, the trial court had exonerated the suspect even before the commencement of the trial, giving no opportunity to the prosecution to examine and produce evidence, he added.

According to the prosecution, a case was registered on the complaint of a local businessman in Landhi who told the police that he had been watching Dr Mahrang and her unidentified colleagues’ “anti-state campaign” on social media.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2025