The legal team representing Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders has raised concerns over the life sentence handed to Gulzadi Baloch, saying she was not given a fair opportunity to defend herself and calling for a fresh legal review of the case.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, the lawyers questioned whether legal requirements had been followed during the proceedings and raised concerns over transparency and judicial independence, including alleged pressure on judges hearing the case.
Advocate Shoaib Mengal, a member of the legal team, said the available case record showed that Gulzadi Baloch had not been named as an accused in the case in which she was later convicted.
The lawyers said the proceedings and sentence were contrary to fundamental legal principles, arguing that a person could not be convicted in a case in which they had not originally been named as an accused.
They called for Gulzadi Baloch to be given what they described as her right to a fair trial, an independent investigation into the proceedings and a fresh legal review of her conviction.
Gulzadi Baloch was sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional Sessions Judge-I Syed Qadir Shah Bukhari in September in a murder case registered at Mach police station in October 2022. Her lawyers said at the time that her statement under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure had not been recorded and that the defence had not been allowed to present final arguments before the verdict.
The BYC had also raised concerns over the proceedings before the sentence was announced, alleging that the judge had repeatedly spoken of being under pressure and might have to impose life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The organisation also said a witness was cross-examined on September 7 despite the absence of Gulzadi’s defence lawyer.
Gulzadi is among several detained BYC leaders facing criminal cases. In June, an anti-terrorism court in Quetta sentenced BYC chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and central leader Sibghatullah Shahji to life imprisonment in a separate case, proceedings their legal team boycotted over what they described as a “faceless trial”.
Related News
BYC Activist Gulzadi Baloch Gets Life Sentence, Lawyers Question Court Process
Gulzadi’s Life Sentence Reflects ‘Failure’ of Justice System: Sabiha Baloch