The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has accused Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the judiciary of deliberately prolonging the legal proceedings against its detained leadership, calling the process “a weaponisation of law” aimed at silencing dissent.
In a statement shared on X, the organization said that during a jail trial on Saturday, the CTD once again failed to submit complete challans in the case. The group alleged that the department has consistently delayed the proceedings since the arrests, while the court has “supported these delaying maneuvers.”
The BYC said that despite the CTD’s failure to provide the required documents, the court appeared “in a hurry to frame the case based on the incomplete challan,” a move the group argued violates procedural requirements. The organization said the case should not proceed until all challans are submitted.
According to the BYC, the CTD has presented more than 25 FIRs against the leadership since the start of the case, many of which it claims are “fabricated” and intended to obstruct the group’s political activities. The organisation said that new FIRs are still being introduced in court hearings, despite earlier directions from the judge that all allegations be submitted at once.
“This not only proves that the state is weaponizing its legal system against Baloch human rights activists but also tarnishes the credibility of the judiciary itself,” the statement said.
The BYC said the Anti-Terrorism Court in Khuzdar has granted bail to BYC leaders in four similar cases, whereas the Quetta ATC continues to prolong proceedings. It said the contrast between the two courts shows that “the judiciary seems paralyzed from taking legal action and is indirectly acting on the side of power.”
According to the BYC, during Saturday’s hearing, detained leader Dr Mahrang Baloch asked the judge whether freedom of speech exists in Pakistan. The BYC said the judge responded by saying it is a constitutional right, but the organization argued that “in practice, there is no freedom of speech,” since all the cases against its leaders stem from their public speeches.
“The very judge who acknowledges freedom of speech as a constitutional right is himself denying it by following the orders of intelligence agencies rather than the judicial system,” the statement said.
The BYC accused state institutions of using the courts as a “rubber stamp” to target activists and suppress political dissent in Balochistan. It appealed to national and international human rights organizations to take notice of what it described as the state’s misuse of anti-terror laws and to intervene to secure the release of its leadership.