A court in Quetta has granted bail to retired police surgeon and political activist Dr Ayesha Faiz in a case registered against her under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
According to reports, the court approved her bail against two surety bonds of Rs150,000 each.
Dr Faiz was arrested earlier this month by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) following a case registered in connection with a press conference held at the Quetta Press Club, where she criticised Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and the Home Minister and expressed support for the Baloch independence movement.
During a hearing on 7 September, the Anti-Terrorism Court remanded Dr Faiz into CTD custody for three days after investigators sought her physical remand.
Sources further stated that a separate case has also been registered against Dr Faiz under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Further details regarding the charges and legal proceedings remain unclear.
Dr Faiz, daughter of the late Baloch politician Malik Faiz Mohammad Dehwar, came under scrutiny following a press conference on 31 August in which she discussed the political situation in Balochistan, the historical status of the former State of Kalat and the role of women in the Baloch movement.
During the press conference, she stated that Baloch armed fighters were engaged in what she described as a war of independence rather than terrorism and argued that Baloch women had supported the movement since the 1970s by providing food, shelter and medical assistance to fighters.
She also criticised reported government plans to remove residents and cut down orchards in Mastung’s Khadkocha area following an attack on the convoy of Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, warning that such measures could deepen local grievances.
Following her arrest on 5 September, several political and rights figures condemned the move. Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani described the arrest as a violation of legal and moral principles and called on international human rights organisations to pay attention to the human rights situation in Balochistan.
Similarly, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Sabiha Baloch criticised the arrest, describing it as an attack on civil liberties and democratic freedoms. She argued that Dr Faiz’s detention reflected shrinking civic space in Balochistan and called for her immediate release.
At the time of her arrest, authorities said the case had been registered under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act. However, officials did not publicly disclose the specific sections invoked or provide detailed grounds for the charges.