Detained Baloch human rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch has issued a legal notice to Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, accusing him of defamation, incitement to violence, and endangering her life through what her lawyers describe as “false, malicious, and baseless” public statements.
The notice, dated 18 June and signed by advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, refers to remarks made during a 23 May press conference and the Hilal Talks 2025 programme aired on 2 June.
In both instances, the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) accused Dr Baloch and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) of acting as “Indian proxies,” questioned the sources of her travel funding, and suggested she was “wajib-ul-qatl”— a term implying she is deserving of death.
In the five-page legal document, Dr Baloch’s lawyers say the allegations have caused severe reputational harm and placed her at grave personal risk. The notice quotes statements from the ISPR, including:
“Now the whole world has seen that she and BYC are proxy of this terrorism,”
and,
“Why are Jews and Hindus backing her?”
“These remarks,” the notice states, “are not only factually inaccurate and blatantly malicious, but also designed to incite public hatred and justify violence.”
Dr Baloch is currently held in Quetta’s Hudda Jail under the colonial-era Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, which rights groups and her supporters argue is being used to silence political dissent in Balochistan.
The legal notice expresses particular concern that these these remarks appeared to precede a video threat by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), in which the group threatened to target unarmed Baloch activists affiliated with the BYC.
“This apparent narrative coordination between the media and PR wing of the Armed Forces, on the one hand, and a terrorist group such as ISKP, on the other, is a matter of grave concern,” the lawyers wrote.
The notice also reminds the military that Dr Baloch is a respected civil rights leader, internationally recognised for her work. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024 and is nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
In response to insinuations about her international travel, the lawyers clarified that her trip to Norway was fully funded by the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), with all documentation publicly available.
“The least that you could have done was attempt to check the public website before making such dangerous and false statements,” the letter adds.
The legal notice outlines the following demands:
- An immediate public apology using the same media channels where the defamatory claims were made
- Complete retraction and removal of all defamatory content from television, YouTube, social media, and archives
- Rs. 10 million in damages for reputational harm
- A public statement that the ISPR “sincerely apologizes to Dr Mahrang Baloch for any hurt and/or damage caused to her”
The lawyers gave the ISPR chief 14 days to comply, warning that failure to meet the demands would result in civil and criminal proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“This defamatory campaign is designed to silence dissent and crush peaceful resistance,” said lawyer Imaan Mazari. “Dr Baloch’s voice is that of a generation demanding justice — and we will defend it through every legal channel available.”
As of publication, neither Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry nor any other Pakistani military officials have responded publicly to the legal notice.