Sammi Deen Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has said that the acquittal of Mahal Baloch by an anti-terrorism court is a “slap in the face of state propaganda, paid mainstream media channels and media trials” that, she said, were built on false and fabricated narratives.
She said the verdict exposed how “baseless and failed” the cases against Baloch women had been, adding that it once again proved how propaganda had been used to criminalize Baloch women without evidence.
Ms Baloch said that on 17 February 2023, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) raided the home of Mahal Baloch, a resident of Kech, in Satellite Town, Quetta. She said family members were tortured during the raid and Mahal was forcibly taken into custody and initially subjected to enforced disappearance.
She said Mahal was later accused of planning a suicide attack, having links with armed groups and facilitating militancy, but on Thursday the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) “honourably acquitted” Mahal and other members of her family of all charges.
Ms Baloch said Mahal was forcibly brought before the media and made to give a “confession”, after which a full “media trial” was conducted against her. She said the DIG CTD held a press conference, declared the arrest a major success and fabricated a story about the detention of a “dangerous suicide bomber”.
She said mainstream media, without investigation, presented the narrative as truth through talk shows, analyses and breaking news, turning propaganda into public judgement.
Ms Baloch said Mahal was subjected to “inhuman torture” during custody. She said her two young daughters were locked in a separate room while their mother was tortured, and that their screams caused both children to suffer severe psychological trauma.
She said Mahal remained in custody for a long period and had to approach courts for more than three years before finally being acquitted.
She said it was telling that the news of Mahal’s acquittal did not receive space on mainstream media, even though the same media had widely covered the original allegations. “All that propaganda, press conferences and media trials have now been exposed,” she said.
“What about the three years of suffering, fear and injustice?” she asked. “Why was Mahal tortured? On what basis was she detained? And are those journalists and media houses who aired unverified allegations not responsible for the harm caused to her and her family?”
Ms Baloch said the same allegations levelled against Mahal three years ago were still being repeated today against Baloch girls and women. She said Mahal at least received a trial, but eight Baloch girls remained victims of enforced disappearance for months, and the “same old media propaganda” continued around their cases.
She said Mahal’s acquittal was not treated as breaking news because “Mahal and girls like her are daughters of the Baloch nation facing a cruel and oppressive state”.
She added: “History shows that when the truth of the oppressed comes out, the lie of the oppressor dies — and no state, no matter how much power and propaganda machinery it uses, can change the truth.”
Related:
Detained for Terrorism or Targeted for Activism? The Case of Mahal Baloch – TBP Feature Report