KARACHI: A Karachi anti-terrorism court on Wednesday acquitted Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch in a sedition and public mischief case filed against her in October last year.
Mahrang had been booked by Quaidabad police on Oct 11, 2024, under terrorism and related charges for allegedly inciting people and making accusations against state institutions.
ATC Judge Ayaz Mustafa Jokhio allowed her acquittal plea — moved by Advocate Jibran Nasir — ruling that there was “no probability” of her conviction. “I hereby allow this application and acquit the accused, Mahrang Baloch,” the written order stated.
The activist was discharged under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code, which empowers courts to acquit an accused at any stage of proceedings.
According to the order, Mahrang appeared via video link from Quetta Prison, where she remains incarcerated following her March arrest. The acquittal will not lead to her release due to other pending cases.
Judge Jokhio said he examined arguments from both sides and reviewed the case record. He noted that the complainant had not produced any independent witness and that most prosecution witnesses — all police officials except the complainant — lacked knowledge of the alleged incident.
The judge highlighted that in their statements under Section 161 CrPC, the witnesses “did not state a single word about the alleged incident”, indicating they had no direct information. He also noted investigative lapses, including the failure to involve local residents during the site visit and a 10-month, unexplained delay between the FIR and submission of the challan.
He stressed that Section 265-K exists to prevent courts from wasting time on weak or inadmissible evidence, especially amid heavy case backlogs, and may be invoked even before framing charges. The complainant also failed to appear in court despite orders to police to produce him.
Mahrang Calls Case ‘Fabricated’
Mahrang has consistently rejected the allegations, calling the FIR “fabricated” and reflective of “how the state has grown increasingly uncomfortable” with her activism.
The FIR was filed by resident Asad Ali Shams, who accused her of inciting violence, provoking people against state institutions and having links with terrorist groups in Balochistan.
The case had invoked Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act alongside multiple Pakistan Penal Code provisions, including 124-A (sedition), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 153-A (promoting enmity), 500 (defamation) and 505 (public mischief).
