Baloch leader slams Pakistani judiciary over prolonged detention of leaders
Washington: Tara Chand, President of Baloch American Congress, on Friday slammed the Pakistani judiciary over the continued detention of Mahrang Baloch, the chief organiser of the human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) along with other BYC leaders who are being kept behind bars without any charges and repeatedly forced to appear in court.
The remarks came after a Quetta court on Friday ordered to place Mahrang, Bebo Baloch, Gul Zadi, Sabghtullah, Beberg Baloch, and Imran Baloch on another 15-day remand, drawing sharp criticism from several human rights activists.
“The judge in Quetta, Balochistan, should be ashamed that Dr. Mahrang Baloch and the BYC leadership are being kept in jail without any charges, forced to appear in court again and again. There is no evidence against them, yet they remain imprisoned at the behest of the government and military agencies. The only reason is that the BYC leadership speaks the truth and defends the rights of Balochistan,” Chand, also a former Cabinet Minister in the Government of Balochistan, posted on X.
“Today, the people of Balochistan have risen, and they will never bow before the fake Pakistani judges who serve only the intelligence agencies. We are proud of the Baloch nation, its people are fighting for freedom and cannot be subdued. These judges should feel deep shame; instead of sitting on their chairs, they ought to drown in their own disgrace,” the post added.
Chand appealed to human rights organisations across the world to raise their voices for the freedom of Mahrang Baloch and the BYC, to press for sanctions on Pakistan, and to condemn this terrorist state that is committing genocide against the Baloch nation.
The US-based Baloch leader alleged that Pakistani agencies and their “shameless Punjabi” civil and military rulers are only interested in plundering the valuable resources of Balochistan. Despite this wealth, he said the people of Balochistan are forced to live lives of pain and poverty because of the exploitation and oppression of the Pakistani rulers.
Meanwhile, condemning the verdict another human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) emphasised that the judicial attitude does not appear impartial but rather seems to be under the pressure of state institutions in Pakistan, making it clear that the judiciary is involved in complying with the orders of specific state institutions instead of fulfilling its constitutional and legal duties.
The rights body urged the international human rights organisations to take immediate notice of the judiciary’s bias and the illegal influence of state institutions in Pakistan. It also demanded transparent investigations into extrajudicial arrests and human rights violations, and ensuring a fair, independent, and transparent judicial process in the cases of BYC leaders, so that justice can be provided in accordance with international human rights standards.