In Quetta, the head of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Dr Mahrang Baloch, and several of her colleagues were presented before an anti-terrorism court on 6 September, on a public holiday, where officials obtained a further five-day remand.
According to family members, the court appearance was held without prior notice to relatives or defence lawyers. They said Dr Baloch, along with Beebo Baloch, Gulzadi, Beebarg Zehri and Shah Ji Sibghatullah, had been expected to appear in the court a day earlier but were instead produced in what they described as a secret hearing. Internet services in parts of the city were also reported to have been suspended during the proceedings.
Dr Baloch’s sister, Nadia Baloch, who has been participating in a protest in Islamabad for more than 50 days, condemned the move as a violation of constitutional rights. She argued that under Articles 10 and 10-A of Pakistan’s constitution, citizens are entitled to protection against arbitrary detention and to a fair trial.
The BYC also criticised the timing of the hearing, which coincided with Pakistan Defence Day, a public holiday when no lawyers were present in the court. The organisation alleged that its leaders were being targeted with false cases and that the process lacked transparency.
The committee called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene, urged international human rights organisations to monitor the case, and demanded that any trial of its leaders be impartial and fair.
There has been no response from Pakistani authorities regarding the claims of secrecy or the suspension of legal access so far.