Pakistan’s National Crime and Cyber Investigation Agency has summoned Baloch nationalist leader Mir Javed Mengal, Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal, his ailing wife, his deceased brother Mir Zafarullah Mengal, and several family members over a social media post expressing support for Dr Mahrang Baloch, the chief organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
The notice, issued under Inquiry No. RE 413/2025 by the Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, alleges that Sardar Mengal shared a post from his verified social media account endorsing Dr Baloch, whom authorities have described as a “proscribed individual.” Officials claimed that the act amounted to “spreading fear and panic.”
In a strongly worded statement, the BNP condemned the move as political victimization. The party said the inclusion of Sardar Mengal’s seriously ill wife and his late brother in the inquiry was “shameful.”
“The FIA notices were issued merely for raising a voice against the arrest of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other political detainees,” the statement read. “Even our peaceful sit-ins, rallies, and strikes remain intolerable to those in power.”
Meanwhile, Dr Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the BYC, also criticized the notice. Posting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), she said that accusing Sardar Mengal of promoting the agenda of a proscribed individual simply for supporting Dr Mahrang Baloch was baseless.
“When and under what law was Dr Mahrang Baloch declared proscribed?” she asked. “Which legal order supports this claim?”
She added that Dr Baloch had broken no laws, and that her activism focused solely on highlighting enforced disappearances in Balochistan, which, she said, violate the Constitution, human rights, and principles of justice.
“If anyone is breaking the law today, it is the state institutions that abduct citizens, torture their families, and trample fundamental rights,” she said. “Since when has supporting the oppressed become a crime?”
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) also issued a statement condemning the action against Sardar Mengal and his family, calling the government’s stance “legally unsubstantiated.”
“Dr Mahrang Baloch has never violated the Constitution or any law. Her only demand is justice for the Baloch people and an end to enforced disappearances,” the BYC said.
The group called on the government to clarify under which legal provision Dr Baloch has been declared a proscribed individual. If no such order exists, it added, the authorities must withdraw the allegations and issue a formal apology.
“Instead of targeting elected representatives with baseless accusations, the state must address the real issues fuelling unrest in Balochistan,” the statement said.