A minor student was granted bail by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Turbat on Saturday, after the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Makran filed a case of “terrorism” against him for allegedly sharing the speech of a rights activist on social media.
According to court documents, the CTD filed the case against Sohaib Khalid, a resident of the Absar area of Turbat, after he allegedly shared a video of a speech by civil society member Gulzar Dost, who is listed under the “Fourth Schedule” of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, on the social media platform TikTok.
Sohaib’s lawyer, Advocate Jadain Dashti, said the boy’s father was forced to present his son before the court after the CTD lodged a First Information Report (FIR) earlier this week. Dashti argued that the charges were “baseless and disproportionate,” adding that Sohaib “had no knowledge of the legal implications” of the video he shared.
The incident has drawn strong criticism from human rights organizations, who said that prosecuting a minor under “terrorism” charges is a “blatant violation of child rights and due process.”
In a statement, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “appalled by reports that a minor has been presented before an anti-terrorism court in Turbat on charges of ‘terrorism’ for allegedly sharing the speech of a rights activist on social media.”
The HRCP stated that “the misuse of anti-terror laws in this manner reflects a gross violation of child rights and due process.” The commission demanded the “immediate withdrawal of charges, a thorough review of the FIR, and accountability for the officials responsible for this alarming overreach.”