KARACHI: Although Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader is behind bars in Balochistan, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi has issued a non-bailable warrant against Dr Mahrang Baloch in a case pertaining to sedition.

The investigating officer of the case filed a charge sheet, placing Dr Mahrang’s name in the Column No 2 and declaring her an “absconder”.

The ATC-V judge issued the non-bailable warrants and directed the IO to arrest and produce her in court on Sept 5.

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The IO mentioned in the report that Dr Mahrang was involved in offences under Sections 124A (sedition), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 500 (defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 7 (terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

Counsel for BYC leader says his client is currently on police remand in Quetta in another case

‘Move to perpetuate detention’

However, the move is seen as an attempt to prolong her detention as her lawyer Jibran Nasir believed that once her physical remand in Quetta ended, she would be transferred to Karachi to extend her custody further.

“The anti-terrorism court in Karachi has issued non-bailable warrants for #MahrangBaloch for 5th September — the very day when the current remand granted by the ATC Quetta ends,” he said in a Facebook post.

“The FIR in question was registered at PS Quaidbad by a private citizen under various sections, including sedition (124-A) — a section that no longer exists under the PPC, having been declared ultra vires by the Lahore High Court,” he added.

He stated that the FIR was lodged in October 2024, but at the time of the alleged incident, Dr Mahrang was miles away in DHA, invited as a guest at a law chamber, with multiple witnesses and CCTV footage confirming her presence.

“We sought quashment of the FIR before the Sindh High Court, which — prior to the formation of the Constitutional Benches — granted a stay order against any arrests. However, after the formation of the Constitutional Benches, the petition met the same fate as all other cases challenging state transgressions.”

“On 18th March 2025, the High Court disposed of the petition based solely on the IO’s oral statement that a charge sheet had been submitted before the Trial Court, directing Mahrang to seek relief there. In reality, no charge sheet had been filed at that time,” he said.

He said that a petition challenging the high court’s order had been pending in the Supreme Court and it was not known when it will be fixed for hearing.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025