Pakistani court dismisses appeal against BYC leader Baloch’s acquittal — Dawn
The Sindh High Court in Pakistan has dismissed the provincial authorities’ appeal against the acquittal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch in a case involving charges of incitement to sedition. The court found the petition non-maintainable, Dawn reports.
The court’s position
The appeal was heard by a two-judge bench headed by Shamsuddin Abbasi, which also included Miran Muhammad Shah. Baloch was represented in court by lawyer Jibran Nasir.
The court noted that the complainant in the first information report was a private citizen and questioned how the prosecution could challenge the acquittal instead of the complainant himself. The appeal on behalf of the state was filed in December 2025 by acting prosecutor general Muntazir Mehdi.
The charges and acquittal
Malir district police registered a case against Baloch on October 11, 2024, on charges of terrorism and incitement to sedition. In the complaint, district resident Asad Ali Shams alleged that the activist had supposedly incited people to violence in his locality.
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The case invoked Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, as well as a number of provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, including those concerning incitement to sedition, armed rioting, promoting enmity between groups, defamation, and statements that could cause public unrest.
The Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court granted Baloch’s application for acquittal, filed under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The state prosecution said that the court had not taken into account the circumstances of the case and had considered the application before formal charges were framed.
Baloch is being held in Quetta prison in connection with other cases. In June, the Quetta Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced her and another BYC leader to two life terms in a case concerning the death of a security forces officer during a protest in Gwadar in 2024. Baloch’s appeal against the verdict is pending before the Balochistan High Court.
