The Baloch Students Council (BSC) in Islamabad has condemned the ongoing trial against human rights lawyers in Pakistan, describing the charges filed under the country’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) as politically motivated. Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were reportedly indicted by an Islamabad court in October in a case linked to alleged controversial social media posts.

 

The students’ body stressed that the use of vague and broadly framed laws to suppress dissent by the Pakistani authorities represents a clear attempt to silence critical voices. It added that the trend underscores how rapidly civic and democratic spaces are being closed. Both individuals have been unwavering advocates for the Baloch people and for Baloch students in Islamabad.

 

A statement issued by the BSC, Iman Mazari’s only crime has been standing with the families of the forcibly disappeared, amplifying their voices at international forums, and fighting legal battles on behalf of Baloch students in Islamabad. The BSC urged international organisations and human rights defenders to intervene and call upon the Government of Pakistan to end the misuse of the legal framework to criminalise political dissent.

 

Meanwhile, a leading human rights organisation Paank today said, another Baloch civilian was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces amid a growing wave of enforced disappearance across the province. This latest act comes against the backdrop of a continuing cycle of persecution marked by a surge in enforced disappearances, extra judicial killings and torture across the province.